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HISTORY 

OF 


(  FEB  16  1924 
X&fffilGAL  %lf&y 


WILLIAMSBURG 


Something  About  tbe  People  ol  Williamsburg 
County,  South  Carolina,  from  tbe  First  Settle-* 
ment  brj  Europeans  About  170!)  until  1Q23. 


BY 


WILLIAM  WILLIS  BODDIE 


COLUMBIA,  S.  C. 
THE  STATE  COMPANY 
1923 


COPYRIGHT,  1923,  BY 
WILLIAM  WILLIS  BODDIE 


INTRODUCTION 


Preparing  what  I  have  called  the  History  of  Williams¬ 
burg  has  given  me  great  pleasure.  It  was  designed  to 
give  statements  of  fact  to  one  who  cares  simply  for 
such,  as  well  as  to  lure  the  student  who  wants  to  learn 
something  of  Williamsburg’s  place  in  the  world.  Prac¬ 
tically  everything  herein  contained  is  based  on  ancient 
documents  or  official  records. 

I  am  very  grateful  to  Mr.  A.  S.  Salley,  Jr.,  Secretary 
of  the  Historical  Commission  of  South  Carolina,  for  his 
sympathetic  patience  with  me  while  gathering  material 
from  his  office  and  for  much  aid  given  me;  and,  likewise, 
to  the  authorities  in  the  office  of  the  Secretary  of  State 
and  the  Charleston  Library.  Miss  Mabel  L.  Webber, 
Secretary  of  the  South  Carolina  Historical  Society,  gave 
me  many  helpful  suggestions.  Judge  of  Probate  W.  E. 
Snowden  and  Clerk  of  the  Court  John  D.  Britton,  of 
Williamsburg,  Judge  of  Probate  Frank  M.  Bryan,  of 
Charleston,  and  Judge  of  Probate  Thomas  E.  Richardson, 
of  Sumter,  were  always  very  kind  and  helpful  when  I 
worked  in  their  offices. 

Mr.  B.  E.  Clarkson  allowed  me  the  use  of  the  Confed¬ 
erate  War  Diary  of  his  late  father,  William  J.  Clarkson; 
Mr.  E.  C.  Epps  furnished  me  a  copy  of  the  Retaliation 
War  Prison  Diary  of  his  father,  the  venerable  William 
Epps;  and  Mrs.  J.  B.  Morrison,  Jr.,  permitted  me  to 
gather  much  material  from  “Ervins  and  Their  Kin”  man¬ 
uscript  of  her  late  father,  Reverend  E.  E.  Ervin.  Nothing 
helped  me  with  the  early  history  of  this  County  more  than 
Colonel  J.  G.  Wardlaw’s  “Genealogy  of  the  Witherspoon 
Family.”  Mr.  Louis  W.  Gilland  allowed  me  to  make  a  copy 
of  the  old  Session  Record  Book  of  Williamsburg  Presby¬ 
terian  Church,  and  Mr.  D.  E.  McCutchen  one  of  the 
Indian  town  Presbyterian  Church.  I  have  used  freely  “The 
Register  Book  for  the  Parish  Prince  Frederick  Winyaw,” 


IV 


INTRODUCTION 


edited  by  the  late  Mrs.  Elizabeth  W.  A.  Pringle.  I  have 
drawn  at  will  from  all  the  published  histories  of  South 
Carolina,  the  biographies  of  men  of  Williamsburg,  and 
the  newspaper  files  in  the  Charleston  Library. 

Mrs.  D.  C.  Scott,  during  many  years,  collected  histori¬ 
cal  material  in  connection  with  her  work  in  the  patriotic 
societies  of  Williamsburg  and  the  Pee  Dee  Historical 
Society.  I  became  heir  to  all  this.  It  was  she  who  first 
told  me  the  story  of  the  people  of  Williamsburg  and  in¬ 
fluenced  me  to  undertake  this  delightful  labor.  Dr.  D.  C. 
Scott,  out  of  his  more  than  seventy  years  of  comprehensive 
understanding  of  Williamsburg,  and  Mrs.  Boddie,  from 
her  naturally  beautiful  enthusiasm  for  my  work,  have  both 
been  continuously  helpful.  They  have  been  most  generous 
in  avoiding  even  an  attempt  to  color  my  scheme  and  I 
desire  that  no  questionable  opinion  herein  be  charged  to 
them. 

Mr.  Samuel  R.  Mouzon,  Mr.  Harvey  J.  Brown,  Mr. 
William  M.  McKnight,  and  Mr.  Alonzo  W.  Flagler,  all 
Confederate  Veterans  of  more  than  four  score  years  of  age, 
whose  minds  are  clear  and  whose  memories  are  vivid,  gave 
me  invaluable  information.  Mr.  J.  J.  B.  Montgomery  told 
me  a  thousand  good  stories  that  he  would  not  allow  me  to 
publish  and  helped  me  to  understand  many  things.  Peter 
G.  Gourdin,  C.  E.,  contributed  for  use  in  this  volume 
his  excellent  map  of  Williamsburg,  1923.  Mrs.  John  A. 
Scott  allowed  me  to  copy  the  Robert  Frierson  map  of 
Williamsburg  (Kingstree)  1801,  which  greatly  adds  to 
the  value  of  this  History. 

Miss  Ann  Fulton  (now  Mrs.  Glenn  E.  Scott,  Sarasota, 
Florida,)  used  her  good  judgment,  both  in  including  and 
excluding  material,  in  copying  for  me  thousands  of  pages 
from  old  manuscripts.  Miss  Adeline  Shuler  prepared 
from  dictation  the  manuscript  for  this  book.  Out  of  her 
keenly  intelligent  interest,  she  made  many  helpful  sug- 


INTRODUCTION 


v 


gestions,  both  as  to  form  and  content,  that  have  been 
incorporated  in  the  work. 

WILLIAM  WILLIS  BODDIE. 

Kingstree,  South  Carolina, 

June  22,  1923. 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  Before  Williamsburg  Had  a  Name  -  1-7 

II.  The  King’s  Tree  and  Williamsburg 

Township  -  8-20 

III.  Original  Settlers  -  21-26 

IV.  The  People  Who  Settled  Williams¬ 

burg  . 27-37 

V.  Economic  Conditions  -  38-43 

YI.  Churches  and  Churchmen  -  -  44-58 

VII.  Growing  Pains  and  Petitions  -  -  59-72 

VIII.  Colonial  Wills . 73-86 

IX.  Political  and  Social  Matters  -  -  87-93 

X.  The  War  of  the  Revolution  -  -  94-113 

XI.  Williamsburg  Soldiers  in  the  Revo¬ 
lution  .  114-130 

XII.  Government  by  the  People  -  -  131-136 

XIII.  The  Town  of  Williamsburg,  1788  -  137-153 

XIV.  Williamsburg  Census,  1790  -  -  154-170 

XY.  Presbyterianism  Regnant  -  171-198 

XYI.  Williamsburg  Taxpayers,  1811  -  -  199-206 

XVII.  Roads  and  Ferries  from  1788  to  1830  207-212 

XVIII.  Government  and  Officials,  1783-1830  213-219 

XIX.  Old  Wills  and  Xotes  on  Them  -  -  220-246 

XX.  Economic  and  Social  Life,  1783-1830  247-257 

XXI.  Indiantown  Church,  1819-1830  -  -  258-265 

XXII.  The  Nullification  Movement,  1832  -  266-270 

XXIII.  Puritanism,  Calvinism,  and  Armini- 

anism  ------  271-303 

XXIV.  Things,  Political  and  Social,  1830- 

1860  .  304-322 

XXV.  Transportation,  1830  to  1860  -  -  323-328 

XXVI.  Slavery  and  Secession  -  329-342 

XXVII.  Williamsburg,  C.  S.  A.,  1861  -  -  343-378 

XXVIII.  Williamsburg,  C.  S.  A.,  1862  -  -  379-396 

XXIX.  Williamsburg,  C.  S.  A.,  1863  -  -  397-402 

XXX.  Williamsburg,  C.  S.  A.,  1864  -  -  403-412 


TABLE  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

XXXI.  Williamsburg,  C.  S.  A.,  1865  -  -  413-432 

XXXII.  Williamsburg,  U.  S.  A.,  1865  -  -  433-439 

XXXIII.  Reconstruction .  440-457 

XXXIV.  Another  Williamsburg  -  -  -  458-466 

XXXV.  Public  Education  since  1880  -  -  467-479 

XXXVI.  Religious  Denominations,  1865-1923  -  480-495 

XXXVII.  Banking  in  Williamsburg  -  -  496-502 

XXXVIII.  Throbbing  War  Drums  Call  -  -  503-516 

XXXIX.  Many  Things . 517-532 

XL.  General  Progress  -  533-548 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


Lieutenant  Joseph  Scott . 123 

Lieutenant  Colonel  John  G.  Pressley  -  343 

Colonel  James  F.  Pressley . 349 

Major  C.  S.  Land . 359 

Colonel  James  McCutchen . 379 

Lieutenant  Junius  E.  Scott . 400 

Lieutenant  William  Epps . 418 

Lieutenant  David  Ervin  Gordon . 419 

Lieutenant  Colonel  Edward  C.  Register  -  -  505 

Sergeant  Leroy  W.  Smith . 511 

Honorable  R.  C.  Logan . 521 


LIST  OF  MAPS. 

Proposed  Town  of  Williamsburg,  1737 — Williams  -  8 

Williamsburg  Township.  Mouzon’s  Map,  1775  -  -  87 

Town  of  Williamsburg,  1788 — Old  Map  -  -  -  137 

Williamsburg,  1801 — Frierson . 257 

Williamsburg  District,  1825 — Mills  -  257 

Williamsburg  County,  1923 — Gourdin  -  533 


CHAPTER  I. 


BEFORE  WILLIAMSBURG  HAD  A  NAME. 

The  territory  in  Southern  North  America  claimed  by 
the  British  at  the  beginning  of  the  seventeenth  century 
was  called  Virginia.  In  1663,  that  portion  South  of  the 
parallel  of  latitude  36°  33'  was  separated  from  Virginia 
and  named  Carolina  in  honor  of  Charles  II,  King  of 
England.  This  territory,  however,  had  been  designated 
Carolina  by  Charles  I  when  he  made  in  1629  a  grant  of 
land  to  Sir  Robert  Keith. 

Charles  II  granted  Carolina  in  1663  to  eight  noblemen, 
known  as  Lords  Proprietors.  At  that  time,  there  were 
a  few  scattered  settlements  along  the  Roanoke  and  Chowan 
Rivers,  in  what  is  now  North  Carolina,  but  none  other 
in  all  the  vast  territory  denominated  Carolina.  These 
Lords  Proprietors  believed  that  they  could  establish 
almost  at  once  in  this  naked  country  a  feudalistic  civili¬ 
zation  more  complex  than  had  grown  up  in  many  centu¬ 
ries  in  their  mother  country.  They  secured  John  Locke, 
a  celebrated  English  philosopher,  then  under  the  patron¬ 
age  of  Ashley,  one  of  the  Lords  Proprietors,  to  write  a 
Constitution  for  Carolina. 

While  Locke  was  one  of  the  most  influential  thinkers 
of  modern  times  and  wrote  a  Constitution  for  Carolina 
from  which  Jefferson,  Hamilton,  and  Marshall,  a  century 
later,  drew  many  valuable  suggestions,  he  had  never 
visited  Carolina  and  had  only  his  vast  store  house  of 
learning  and  his  imagination  to  aid  him  in  creating  his 
remarkable  scheme  for  the  government  of  the  widely  scat¬ 
tered  settlements  in  these  wilds.  His  Fundamental  Con¬ 
stitution  for  Carolina  was  accepted  by  the  Lords  Propri¬ 
etors  and  made  the  law  of  the  land.  It  was  a  beautiful 
theory  which  Locke  had  created  and  he  and  the  Lords 


2 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Proprietors  had  many  hopeful  dreams  that  their  plans 
would  materialize. 

The  Lords  Proprietors  did  all  they  could  to  consummate 
the  ideal  empire  that  had  its  origin  in  the  brain  of  Locke. 
They  made  large  grants  of  land  in  Carolina  to  seemingly 
eager  English  noblemen,  expecting  these  pampered  prod¬ 
ucts  of  wealth  and  ease  to  migrate  with  their  retainers  to 
this  wilderness  and  soon  establish  an  aristocratic  Carolina. 

These  English  lords  did  not  come  to  Carolina  to  live 
on  their  estates.  They  attempted  to  send  hirelings  to  over¬ 
come  the  pioneer  matters  and  create  a  condition  their 
masters  could  endure.  But  hirelings  never  make  a  wilder¬ 
ness  a  garden  unless  severely  superintended. 

The  English  government  gave  the  Lords  Proprietors  a 
free  hand  for  more  than  a  half  century  while  Carolina 
was  a  Proprietary  Province,  but  the  plans  of  Locke  would 
not  work.  Finally,  seven  of  the  Lords  Proprietors  ceded 
back  to  the  King  their  claims  to  Carolina,  and  in  1719 
it  became  a  Royal  Province.  In  1729,  Carolina  was  divided 
into  the  provinces  of  North  Carolina  and  of  South  Caro¬ 
ling  along  the  lines  now  obtaining. 

In  1729,  there  were  only  two  small  settlements  in  South 
Carolina.  These  were  Charleston  and  Beaufort,  both  along 
the  coast.  These  two  settlements  had  no  back  country  to 
support  them  and  nothing  for  maintaining  their  existence 
except  the  nominal  trade  with  the  Indians.  Charleston 
and  Beaufort  then  produced  practically  nothing.  Besides, 
they  were  dangerously  near  the  Spanish  territory  of 
Florida,  and  the  Spaniards  were  forever  foraying  on  them. 
The  Indians  from  the  West  were  likewise  frequently  dis¬ 
turbing  them  and  constantly  threatening  their  existence. 

King  George  knew  that  up  to  1730  but  little  of  prac¬ 
tical  value  had  been  done  towards  the  creation  of  a  suc¬ 
cessful  colony  in  South  Carolina.  He  realized  that  the 
colonies  at  Charleston  and  Beaufort  were  not  self  sus¬ 
taining  and  could  not  be  made  so  without  the  development 


BEFORE  WILLIAMSBURG  HAD  A  NAME  3 


of  the  back  country ;  and,  furthermore,  that  the  Spaniards 
and  the  Indians  might  at  any  time  unite  and  exterminate 
these  two  towns  on  the  coast.  In  1730,  he  gave  the  fol¬ 
lowing  instructions  to  Governor  Robert  Johnson  of  South 
Carolina: 

“Whereas,  it  has  been  found  by  long  experience  in  our 
province  of  New  Hampshire  and  Massachusetts  Bay,  that 
the  settling  of  such  persons  as  were  disposed  to  become 
planters  there  hath  redounded  very  much  to  their  ad¬ 
vantage,  not  only  with  respect  to  the  assistance  they  have 
been  able  to  afford  each  other  in  their  civil  concerns, 
but,  likewise,  with  regard  to  the  security  they  have  thereby 
acquired  against  the  insults  and  incursions  of  the  neigh¬ 
boring  Indians : 

“We  have  thought  it  for  our  service,  and  you  are  hereby 
required  to  mark  out  and  set  apart  eleven  townships  in 
our  said  province,  on  the  banks  of  rivers,  at  sixty  miles 
distance  from  Charleston;  that  is  to  say,  two  townships 
on  the  Altamaha,  two  on  the  Savannah  River,  one  on 
Ponpon  River,  two  on  Santee  River,  one  on  Wateree 
River,  one  on  Black  River,  and  one  on  Waccamaw  River. 
Each  of  these  townships  must  consist  of  twenty  thousand 
acres  of  land,  to  be  laid  out  in  square  plots, — one  side 
thereof  to  front  the  respective  rivers  on  which  they  shall 
be  settled. 

“In  each  of  these  townships,  you  shall  mark  out  proper 
place  for  the  situation  of  a  town,  contiguous  to  the  river, 
where  the  township  lies,  to  consist  of  so  many  lots,  and 
each  lot  of  such  quantity  of  land  as  you  shall  judge  con¬ 
venient,  and  to  each  inhabitant,  at  their  first  settling  there, 
besides  their  respective  town  lots,  you  shall  grant  fifty 
acres,  part  of  the  above  mentioned  twenty  thousand,  for 
every  man,  woman,  or  child,  of  which  the  grantee’s  family 
shall  consist,  which  grants  shall  be  augmented  from  time 
to  time  as  the  abilities  of  the  respective  inhabitants  shall 
render  them  capable  of  cultivating  more  lands,  always 


4 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


taking  care  to  proportion  profitable  and  unprofitable  land 
in  each  grant  and  to  mark  the  same  out  in  such  manner 
that  every  grantee,  by  the  situation  of  his  land,  may  reap 
equal  advantage  of  access  to  the  river  to  which  the  town¬ 
ship  shall  be  contiguous,  and  to  the  intent  that  land  near 
the  said  township  may  not  be  wanting  for  the  convenience 
of  the  inhabitants,  as  their  substance  shall  increase. 

“No  person,  except  the  inhabitants,  shall  be  allowed  to 
take  up  land  within  six  miles  of  the  said  townships, 
respectively,  to  which  the  said  township  shall  be  contigu¬ 
ous. 

“Each  of  these  townships,  together  with  all  the  lands 
on  the  same  side  of  the  river,  lying  within  six  miles  of 
the  said  townships,  respectively,  be  erected  into  a  distinct 
parish,  and  that  when  any  of  the  said  intended  parishes 
shall  have  one  hundred  householders,  it  shall  be  entitled 
to  send  two  members  to  our  Assembly  and  to  enjoy  all 
such  other  privileges  as  of  right  and  common  usage  belong 
to  other  parishes  in  our  said  province. 

“As  other  encouragement  to  such  persons  as  shall  be 
disposed  to  settle  in  these  townships,  we  are  graciously 
pleased  to  allow  the  inhabitants  there  the  right  of  common 
and  herbage  in  and  through  all  such  lands  contained  within 
the  extent  of  the  said  townships  as  shall  not  be  taken  up 
by  grants  made  to  the  said  inhabitants;  and  that  a  quan¬ 
tity  of  land  not  exceeding  three  hundred  acres  contiguous 
to  the  said  town  shall  be  set  apart  for  a  common  in  per¬ 
petuity  to  each  of  the  said  towns  free  from  quitrent ;  and 
it  is  our  pleasure  that  no  person  claiming  right  to  take 
up  land  in  South  Carolina  by  former  grant  from  the  Lords 
Proprietors  be  allowed  to  take  up  lands  within  six  miles 
of  these  townships  by  virtue  of  such  grant. 

“We  have  been  informed  that  the  number  of  white  men 
in  our  said  province  bears  a  small  proportion  to  that 
of  the  blacks,  which  is  not  only  a  hindrance  to  the  peopling 
and  settling  of  the  same  but  may  be  also  of  dangerous 


BEFORE  WILLIAMSBURG  HAD  A  NAME  5 


consequence  from  the  attempts  of  an  enemy  and  from 
an  insurrection  of  the  negroes.  It  is  our  will  and  pleasure 
that  you  recommend  in  the  strongest  terms  to  the  Assembly 
that  it  pass  an  Act  giving  suitable  encouragement  to  all 
who  shall  import  servants  into  the  province,  either  men 
or  women;  and,  as  an  encouragement  for  white  servants 
to  come,  we  are  gracious  to  allow  you  to  grant  fifty  acres 
of  land,  free  of  quitrent,  to  all  white  servants,  men  or 
women,  who  shall  have  served  their  masters  the  whole 
term  of  their  agreement,  and  shall  be  allowed  afterwards 
to  become  planters  or  settlers  in  the  said  province. 

“You  will  not  make  any  grants  of  land  to  any  person 
whatsoever  under  a  less  quitrent  than  four  shillings,  proc¬ 
lamation  money,  for  over  one  hundred  acres,  except  for 
the  first  ten  years  to  white  servants  as  mentioned  in  the 
foregoing  article  and  for  those  who  shall  undertake  to 
settle  the  eleven  aforementioned  townships,  or  any  of  them. 

“And  to  the  end,  the  Ecclesiastical  Jurisdiction  of  the 
Lord  Bishop  of  London  may  obtain  in  that,  our  province, 
so  far  as  conveniently  may  be,  we  do  think  fit  that  you 
do  give  all  countenance  and  encouragement  to  the  exer¬ 
cise  of  the  same. 

“No  school  master  shall  be  allowed  to  teach  school  in 
the  province  without  the  license  of  the  Lord  Bishop  of 
London. 

“A  table  of  marriages  established  by  the  Canons  of  the 
Church  of  England  must  be  hung  up  in  every  orthodox 
church  and  duly  observed,  and  you  must  get  a  law  passed 
in  the  Assembly  of  that  province,  if  not  already  done,  for 
the  strict  observance  of  said  table. 

“We  have  granted  unto  Edmund,  Lord  Bishop  of  Lon¬ 
don,  the  Right  Reverend  Father  in  God,  and  under  our 
great  seal  of  Great  Britain,  whereby  he  is  empowered  to 
exercise  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction  by  himself,  or  by  such 
commissaries  as  he  shall  appoint  in  our  several  plantations 
in  America.  And  you  must  give  all  commissaries  due  en- 


6 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


couragement  to  the  said  Lord  Bishop  of  London,  in  the 
legal  exercise  of  such  jurisdiction. 

“You  must  cause  all  laws  already  made  against 
blasphemy,  profaneness,  adultery,  fornication,  polygamy, 
incest,  profanation  of  the  Lord’s  Day,  swearing,  and 
drunkenness  to  be  vigorously  executed.  You  are  so  to 
punish  the  above  named  vices  that,  by  such  example,  infi¬ 
dels  may  be  invited  and  persuaded  to  embrace  the  Christian 
religion. 

“You  must  recommend  the  Assembly  to  enter  upon 
proper  methods  for  erecting  and  maintaining  schools  in 
order  to  be  training  up  youths  to  read  and  to  the  neces¬ 
sary  knowledge  of  the  principles  of  religion;  and  you  are 
also,  with  the  assistance  of  the  Council  and  Assembly, 
to  find  out  the  best  means  to  facilitate  and  encourage  the 
conversion  of  Negroes  and  Indians  to  the  Christian  reli¬ 
gion. 

“You  are  particularly  enjoined  to  use  all  possible  ways 
and  means  for  regaining  the  affections  of  the  Indians 
and  to  preserve  a  good  correspondence  with  such  of  them 
as  remain  faithful  to  our  interest,  but  especially  to  the 
Cherokees.  You  are  hereby  directed  to  recommend  in 
strongest  terms  to  Indian  traders  to  be  just  and  reason¬ 
able  in  their  dealings  with  the  native  Indians,  and  to 
recommend  to  the  Assembly  the  passing  of  such  laws  as 
may  be  necessary  for  the  encouragement  and  protection 
of  such  Indians  as  shall  adhere  to  our  interest. 

“You  shall  take  care  that  all  planters  and  inhabitants 
and  Christian  servants  be  fitly  provided  with  arms,  and 
that  they  be  listed  under  good  officers,  mustered,  and 
trained,  to  be  in  readiness  for  the  defense  of  the  province, 
and  especially  in  those  parts  bordering  upon  the  Indians. 

“Give  due  encouragement  and  invitation  to  merchants 
and  others  who  shall  bring  trade  to  the  province,  particu¬ 
larly  to  the  Royal  African  Company,  and  others,  to  the 
end  that  the  province  may  have  a  constant  and  sufficient 


BEFORE  WILLIAMSBURG  HAD  A  NAME  7 


supply  of  merchantable  negroes  at  moderate  rates.”  (B. 
P.  R.  O.,  copy  in  archives  Historical  Commission  of  South 
Carolina,  Columbia.) 

In  compliance  with  these  orders  of  the  King  in  1730, 
nine  townships  in  South  Carolina  in  the  interior  on  the 
banks  of  rivers  were  laid  out.  In  establishing  and  set¬ 
tling  these  townships,  the  English  government  laid  the 
foundation  for  the  prosperous  colony  of  South  Carolina, 
which  later  became  the  State.  Until  these  townships  were 
settled,  the  colony  of  South  Carolina  at  any  time  might 
have  failed. 


CHAPTER  II. 


THE  KINOES  TREE  AND  WILLIAMSBURG  TOWNSHIP. 

Some  explorer,  whose  name  has  been  lost,  long  before 
1730,  laboriously  rowed  his  pettiagua  from  Winyaw  Bay 
up  the  sinuous  channel  of  Black  River  to  a  large  white 
pine  tree  on  the  north  bank,  which  he  marked  and  called 
the  “King’s  Tree.”  This  explorer  went  no  further  west¬ 
ward  up  the  river  but  returned  to  Charleston  and  reported 
to  the  Colonial  Governor  that  he  had  worked  his  way  up 
the  Wee  Nee  River  for  more  than  a  hundred  miles  to  a 
place  where  he  found  a  white  pine  tree,  one  like  those 
growing  on  the  New  England  hills,  and  that  he  had 
chopped  into  the  sap  of  this  “King’s  Tree”  a  broad  arrow 
just  as  the  King’s  trees  in  New  England  had  been  marked. 
This  explorer  told  wonderful  tales  about  the  King’s  Tree 
section,  and  the  “King’s  Tree”  became  a  basal  point  in 
the  “back  country”. 

White  pine  trees  grow  normally  only  on  highlands  in 
Northern  latitudes.  It  was  purely  by  chance  that  this 
white  pine  tree,  christened  by  that  nameless  explorer  the 
“King’s  Tree”,  grew  in  Williamsburg.  Only  to  the  poet’s 
mind  can  its  history  be  known.  Possibly  some  Indian 
brave,  coming  southward  from  the  Great  Lakes,  camped 
on  this  bluff  on  the  Wee  Nee  River  and  unwittingly 
dropped  the  seed  that  grew  into  the  King’s  Tree.  Or  did 
some  bald  old  eagle,  bloody  from  his  battle  in  the  moun¬ 
tains,  rest  a  while  on  this  spot,  and  in  a  cooling  shower, 
have  washed  from  his  matted  feathers  the  little  bit  of  life 
that  grew  into  the  King’s  Tree? 

This  white  pine  tree  on  the  Wee  Nee  River  possibly 
caused  King  George  to  reserve  in  every  grant  of  land  in 
these  parts  all  white  pine  trees  forever  as  the  sole  property 
of  the  King.  In  those  days  of  sailing  ships,  white  pine 
made  the  best  masts  available  and  the  King  kept  them 


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PLAN  OF  THE  TOWN  OF  WILLIAMSBURG,  1737. 


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THE  KING’S  TREE  AND  TOWNSHIP 


9 


for  his  own.  Few  of  these  white  pine  trees  had  ever  grown 
in  Williamsburg  and  none  of  them  ever  went  into  a  ship 
flying  a  Royal  Banner. 

Although  even  the  English  Government  at  this  time 
had  begun  practical  schemes  for  the  development  of  South 
Carolina,  it  had  not  entirely  lost  hope  that  it  would  find 
a  land  of  gold.  When  these  eleven  townships  were  decreed 
established  in  1730,  in  every  grant  of  land  in  them,  there 
was  reserved  to  the  King  one-tenth  of  all  the  gold  and 
silver  mined. 

The  Township  on  Black  River  had  the  King’s  Tree  as  its 
basal  point  and  its  establishment  conformed  to  the  order 
of  the  King  made  in  1730.  The  Township,  as  surveyed 
with  the  reserved  lands  surrounding,  consisted  of  one  hun¬ 
dred  ninety-eight  thousand  and  twenty-three  and  seven 
tenths  English  acres.  It  was  admeasured  and  laid  out  by 
Anthony  Williams,  Deputy  Surveyor,  on  the  18th  day  of 
March,  1736.  On  August  28,  1737,  the  Town  of  Williams¬ 
burg  was  laid  out  by  the  same  surveyor.  The  King’s  Tree 
was  located  on  town  lot  No.  1  of  the  plat  then  made.  In 
1923,  the  colored  Methodist  Episcopal  parsonage  on  Main 
Street  was  situate  on  this  spot  of  ground. 

Williamsburg  Township  was  a  part  of  Craven  County, 
one  of  the  four  original  political  divisions  of  South  Caro¬ 
lina.  In  1734,  Craven  County  was  divided  into  parishes, 
and  the  territory  later  becoming  Williamsburg  was  a  part 
of  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish.  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish 
was  named  in  honor  of  one  of  the  many  imbecile  sons  of 
King  George  II,  who  never  ascended  the  throne.  It  was 
due,  probably,  to  the  influence  of  William  James,  who 
settled  on  Black  River  in  1732,  that  the  township  was 
named  Williamsburg,  in  honor  of  William  of  Orange.  Cap¬ 
tain  John  James,  father  of  William,  served  under  the 
Prince  of  Orange  before  he  came  to  the  British  throne, 
and  had  great  admiration  for  that  excellent  Protestant. 

The  wonderful  tales  that  had  been  told  about  Charles- 


10 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


ton  of  the  King’s  Tree  country,  and  from  thence  had  been 
retold  in  England,  Scotland,  and  Ireland,  made  many 
poor  Protestants  in  those  countries  look  longingly  across 
the  Sea.  Finally,  they  began  coming.  When  they  reached 
the  King’s  Tree  and  saw  endless  pine  barrens  enmeshed 
in  impenetrable  swamps,  from  whence  came  strange  shrill 
screams  of  unknown  birds,  rasping  cries  of  savage  beasts 
and  war  whoops  of  still  more  savage  men,  and  when  they 
realized  that  they  must  begin  against  primeval  conditions, 
under  unknown  skies,  and  by  black  waters,  they  needed  all 
the  firmness  of  mind  and  body  they  had  accumulated 
through  a  hundred  generations  of  struggle  against  severity. 

In  1732,  a  colony  of  forty  Scotch-Irish  under  the  leader¬ 
ship  of  Roger  Gordon  settled  about  the  King’s  Tree  on 
Black  River  on  lands  now  within  the  immediate  vicinity 
of  Kingstree.  Making  up  this  colony  of  forty,  were  the 
families  of  the  following  men :  Roger  Gordon,  Edward 
Plowden,  Robert  Ervin,  James  Armstrong,  David  Johnson, 
Adam  McDonald,  William  James,  Archibald  Hamilton, 
David  Wilson,  and  John  Scott.  This  colony  came  up 
Black  River  and,  disembarking  from  their  vessel  at 
Brown’s  Ferry,  blazed  their  way  through  the  forests  along 
what  is  now  the  Kingstree-Georgetown  road  to  the  King’s 
Tree.  These  were  the  first  settlers  in  Williamsburg  Town¬ 
ship. 

In  1734,  John  Witherspoon  and  his  seven  children,  six 
of  whom  were  married  and  brought  children  of  their  own, 
came  up  Black  River  as  far  as  Potato  Ferry;  and,  from 
this  point,  settled  in  various  parts  of  the  Township.  Robert 
Witherspoon,  grandson  of  John,  in  1780,  wrote  the  fol¬ 
lowing  account  of  the  Witherspoon  Colony,  the  original 
manuscript,  of  which  this  is  a  true  copy,  is  in  the  posses¬ 
sion  of  the  descendants  of  the  late  Dr.  J.  R.  Witherspoon, 
of  Alabama. 

“John  Witherspoon  and  Janet  Witherspoon  were  born 
in  Scotland  about  the  year  1670.  They  lived  in  their 


THE  KING’S  TREE  AND  TOWNSHIP 


11 


younger  years  near  Glasgow,  at  a  place  called  Begardie, 
and  were  married  in  1693.  In  1695,  they  left  Scotland  and 
settled  at  Knockbracken,  in  the  Parish  of  Drumbo,  County 
of  Down,  Ireland,  where  they  lived  in  comfortable  cir¬ 
cumstances  and  good  credit  until  the  year  1734.  He  then 
removed  with  his  family  to  South  Carolina. 

“We  went  on  board  the  ship  called  ‘The  Good  Intent’ 
on  the  14th  of  September,  and  were  detained  by  head¬ 
winds  fourteen  days  in  the  Lough  at  Belfast.  On  the  sec¬ 
ond  day  after  we  set  sail,  my  grandmother,  Janet,  died 
and  was  interred  in  the  boisterous  ocean,  which  was  an 
affecting  sight  to  her  offspring. 

“We  were  sorely  tossed  at  sea  with  storms,  which  caused 
our  ship  to  spring  a  leak;  our  pumps  were  kept  inces¬ 
santly  at  work  day  and  night  for  many  days  together  and 
our  mariners  seemed  manv  times  at  their  wits’  end.  But  it 
pleased  God  to  bring  us  all  safe  to  land,  except  my  grand¬ 
mother,  about  the  first  of  December. 

“But  to  return, — my  grandfather  and  grandmother  had 
seven  children.  Their  names  were  as  follows,  viz. :  Janet 
(or  Jennet),  David,  James,  Elizabeth,  Robert,  Mary,  and 
Gavin.  Their  daughter  Janet  was  born  in  Scotland  and 
was  married  to  John  Fleming  in  Ireland.  They  had  a 
large  family  of  children  born  in  Ireland  and  brought  seven 
of  them  to  this  place,  Williamsburg,  viz. :  Isabella,  John, 
Elizabeth,  James,  Janet,  Penelope,  and  William.  My 
uncle,  John  Fleming,  died  in  1750,  in  a  good  old  age;  my 
aunt  Janet  died  in  1761  in  the  sixty-sixth  year  of  her  age. 
My  uncle  David  was  born  in  1697,  married  to  Ann  Pressley 
and  brought  with  him  to  this  place  two  children,  viz. : 
Sarah  and  Janet.  He  died  in  the  year  1772  in  the  sixty- 
seventh  year  of  his  age. 

“My  aunt  Elizabeth  was  married  to  William  James  and 
they  brought  with  them  to  this  place  four  children,  viz. : 
Mary,  Janet,  John,  and  William.  They  both  died  in  the 
year  1750,  he  forty-nine  and  she  forty-seven  years  of  age. 


12 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


“My  uncle  Robert  was  married  to  Mary  Stuart  and  by 
her  had  two  children,  Mary  and  John ;  his  first  wife,  Mary, 
died  in  Ireland.  He  married  his  second  wife,  Hester  Jane 
Scott,  a  short  time  before  he  left  Ireland  and  brought  his 
two  children  with  him  to  this  place.  His  wife,  Hester 
Jane,  died  in  1756,  aged  forty  years  ;  he  died  in  1758,  aged 
fifty-three  years. 

“My  aunt  Mary  was  married  to  David  Wilson  in  Ireland, 
and  brought  to  this  place  two  children,  William  and  John. 
My  uncle  David  died  in  1750,  aged  fifty  years,  and  she 
died  in  17 65,  in  the  fifty-eighth  year  of  her  age. 

“My  uncle  Gavin,  the  youngest  son  of  my  grandparents, 
was  born  in  1712,  and  was  unmarried  when  he  left  Ireland. 

“It  is  to  be  remembered  that  we  did  not  all  come  over 
in  one  ship,  nor  in  the  same  year,  for  my  uncles,  William 
James  and  David  Wilson,  and  their  families,  with  uncle 
Gavin,  left  Belfast  in  1732,  and  uncle  Robert  followed 
in  1736.  As  I  said,  we  landed  in  Charleston  three  weeks 
before  Christmas  in  1734.  We  found  the  inhabitants  very 
kind.  We  remained  in  that  place  until  after  Christmas 
and  were  put  on  board  an  open  boat,  with  tools,  one  year’s 
provisions,  and  one  steel  mill  for  each  family.  Our  pro¬ 
visions  consisted  of  Indian  corn,  rice,  wheat  flour,  beef, 
pork,  sdme  rum,  and  salt;  and,  for  each  hand  over  six¬ 
teen  years  of  age,  one  axe,  one  broad  and  one  narrow  hoe. 

“We  were  much  distressed  in  our  passage,  as  it  was  in 
the  depth  of  winter  and  we  were  exposed  to  the  inclemency 
of  the  weather  by  day  and  by  night ;  and  that  which  added 
to  the  grief  of  all  persons  on  board  were  the  profane  and 
blasphemous  oaths  and  expressions  of  the  patroon  and  his 
boatmen.  They  brought  us  up  as  far  as  Potato  Ferry  on 
Black  River,  about  twenty  miles  from  Georgetown,  where 
they  put  us  on  shore. 

“We  lay  for  some  time  in  Samuel  Commander’s  barn, 
while  the  boat  made  her  way  up  to  the  King’s  Tree,  with 
the  goods  and  provisions  on  board,  and  was  probably  the 


THE  KING’S  TREE  AND  TOWNSHIP 


13 


first  boat  that  had  ever  ascended  the  River  to  that  place. 
While  the  women  were  left  at  Commander’s  the  men  went 
up  to  build  dirt  houses,  or  rather  potato  houses,  to  take 
their  families  to.  They  also  brought  up  a  few  horses  and 
what  help  they  could  get  from  the  few  inhabitants,  in 
order  to  carry  their  families,  children,  and  other  necessary 
articles  up;  as  the  woods  were  full  of  water,  and  the 
weather  very  cold,  it  made  it  go  very  hard  with  the  women 
and  children. 

“We  set  out  in  the  morning  the  last  of  January,  a  part 
reached  Mr.  McDonald’s,  others  as  far  as  Mr.  Plowden’s, 
and  Mr.  James  Armstrong’s,  and  a  part  to  my  uncle,  Wil¬ 
liam  James’.  Their  little  cabins  were  as  full  that  night 
as  they  could  hold  and  the  next  day  every  one  made  the 
best  he  could  to  his  own  place.  This  was  on  the  first  of 
February,  1735,  when  we  came  to  the  place  called  the  Bluff, 
three  miles  below  the  King’s  Tree.  My  mother  and  we 
children  were  still  in  expectations  of  coming  to  an  agree¬ 
able  place,  but  when  we  arrived  and  saw  nothing  but  a 
wilderness,  and  instead  of  a  comfortable  house,  no  other 
than  one  of  dirt,  our  spirits  sank;  and  what  added  to  our 
trouble  was  that  the  pilot  who  came  with  us  from  uncle 
William  James’  left  us  as  soon  as  he  came  in  sight  of  the 
place.  My  father  gave  us  all  the  comfort  he  could  by 
telling  us  that  we  would  soon  get  all  the  trees  cut  down 
and  in  a  short  time  there  would  be  plenty  of  inhabitants 
and  that  we  would  be  able  to  see  from  house  to  house. 

“While  we  were  here,  the  fire  went  out  that  we  brought 
from  Boggy  Swamp.  My  father  had  heard  that  up  the 
river  swa  mp  was  the  King’s  Tree.  Although  there  was  no 
path  nor  did  he  know  the  distance,  he  followed  up  the 
mean  derings  of  the  swamp  until  he  came  to  the  branch 
and  by  that  means  he  found  Roger  Gordon’s  place.  We 
watched  him  as  far  as  the  trees  would  let  us  see  and  re¬ 
turned  to  our  dolorous  hut,  expecting  never  to  see  him  or 
any  human  being  more.  But  after  some  time,  he  returned 


14 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


with  tire  and  we  were  somewhat  comforted,  but  evening 
coming  on  the  wolves  began  to  howl  on  all  sides.  We  then 
feared  being  devoured  by  wild  beasts,  as  we  had  neither 
gun  nor  dog,  nor  even  a  door  to  our  house,  howbeit  we  set 
to  and  gathered  fuel  and  made  a  good  fire  and  so  we  passed 
the  first  night. 

“The  next  morning  being  clear  and  moderate,  we  began 
to  stir  about,  and  about  midday  there  arose  a  cloud  at 
Southwest,  attended  with  high  wind,  lightning,  and  thun¬ 
der.  The  rain  quickly  penetrated  through  the  poles  of 
the  hut  and  brought  down  the  sand  with  which  it  was 
covered  and  which  seemed  for  a  while  to  cover  us  alive. 
The  lightening  and  claps  were  very  awful  and  lasted  for 
a  good  space  of  time.  I  do  not  remember  to  have  seen  a 
much  severer  gust  than  that  was.  I  believe  we  all  sin¬ 
cerely  wished  to  be  again  at  Belfast.  But  the  fright  was 
soon  over  and  the  evening  cleared  up  comfortable  and 
warm. 

“The  boat  that  brought  up  the  goods  arrived  safe  at 
King’s  Tree.  People  were  much  oppressed  in  bringing 
away  the  articles,  for  as  there  were  no  houses  near,  they 
were  obliged  to  toil  hard  and  carry  them  on  their  backs, 
consisting  of  clothing,  beds,  chests,  provisions,  tools,  pots, 
bowls;  and,  as  at  that  time  there  were  but  few  roads  or 
paths,  every  family  had  to  travel  the  best  way  it  could, 
which  was  near  double  distance  to  some,  for  they  had  to 
follow  swamps  and  branches  as  their  guides  at  first  and 
after  some  time,  some  men  got  such  a  knowledge  of  the 
woods  as  to  be  able  to  blaze  paths,  so  that  the  people 
soon  found  out  to  follow  blazes  from  place  to  place. 

“As  the  winter  season  was  far  advanced,  the  time  to 
prepare  land  for  planting  was  very  short,  yet  the  people 
were  generally  healthy  and  strong.  All  that  could  do 
anything  wrought  diligently  and  continued  clearing  and 
planting  as  long  as  the  season  would  admit.  So  they  made 
provisions  for  that  year.  As  they  had  but  few  beasts  to 


THE  KING’S  TREE  AND  TOWNSHIP 


15 


feed,  a  little  served  them;  and  as  the  range  was  good, 
there  was  no  need  of  feeding  creatures  for  several  vears. 

“I  remember  that  the  first  thing  my  father  brought  from 
the  boat  was  his  gun,  which  was  one  of  Queen  Anne’s  mus¬ 
kets.  He  had  her  loaded  with  swan  shot,  and  one  morning 
while  we  were  at  breakfast  there  was  a  travelling  ’possum 
passing  by  the  door,  my  mother  screamed  out,  “There  is 
a  great  bear!”  Mother  and  we  children  hid  ourselves  be¬ 
hind  some  barrels  and  a  chest  at  the  far  end  of  the  hut, 
while  father  got  his  gun  and  steadied  her  past  the  fork 
that  held  up  the  other  end  of  our  house  and  shot  him  about 
the  hinder  parts,  which  caused  him  to  grin  in  a  firightful 
manner.  Father  was  in  haste  to  give  him  another  bout, 
but  the  shot,  being  mislaid  in  the  hurry,  could  not  be 
found,  and  we  were  penned  up  for  some  time.  Father  at 
last  ventured  out  and  killed  him  with  a  pole.  Another 
circumstance  which  gave  us  much  alarm  was  the  Indians 
when  they  came  to  hunt  in  the  Spring.  They  came  in  great 
numbers  like  the  Egyptian  locusts,  but  were  not  hurtful. 

“We  had  a  great  deal  of  trouble  and  hardships  in  our 
first  settling,  but  the  few  inhabitants  were  favored  with 
health  and  strength.  We  were  also  much  oppressed  with 
fear  on  divers  other  accounts,  especially  of  being  mas¬ 
sacred  by  the  Indians,  or  bit  by  snakes,  or  torn  by  wild 
beasts,  or  of  being  lost  and  perishing  in  the  woods,  of  whom 
there  were  three  persons  who  were  never  found. 

“My  uncle  Robert,  with  his  second  wife  and  two  chil¬ 
dren,  Mary  and  John,  arrived  here  near  the  last  of  August, 
1736.  He  came  on  the  fine  ship  called  the  ‘New-  built’, 
which  was  a  ship  of  great  burthen  and  brought  a  great 
many  passengers,  who  chiefly  came  and  settled  here  and 
had  to  travel  by  land  from  Georgetown,  and  instead  of 
being  furnished  with  provisions,  etc.,  as  we  were,  they 
had  money  given  them  by  the  public.  When  they  arrived, 
our  second  crop  had  been  planted  and  was  coming  for¬ 
ward,  but  the  season  being  warm  and  they  much  fatigued, 


16 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


many  were  taken  sick  with  ague  and  fever,  some  died 
and  some  became  dropsical  and  also  died. 

“About  this  time,  August  or  September,  1736,  the  people 
began  to  form  into  a  religious  society,  built  a  cburcb  and 
sent  to  Ireland  for  a  minister.  One  came  whose  name  was 
Robert  Herron,  who  staid  only  three  years  and  returned 
to  Ireland.  The  first  call  was  made  out  for  Reverend  John 
Willison  of  Scotland,  author  of  the  ‘Mother’s  Catechism’, 
‘A  Practical  Treatise  on  the  Lord’s  Supper’,  and  of  the 
‘Discourses  on  the  Atonement’. 

“The  following  anecdote  is  handed  down  by  tradition 
of  Mr.  Gavin  Witherspoon;  meeting  a  neighbor  one  day, 
this  conversation  is  reported  to  have  taken  place.  Wither¬ 
spoon — ‘Wull,  we  must  have  a  minister.’  ‘Wull,  Mister 
Witherspoon,  wha  wull  ye  git  to  be  your  minister?’  ‘Wull, 
wha  but  Mister  Willison  o’  Dundee?’  ‘But  the  minister 
must  have  a  muckle  sight  o’  money  for  his  living,’  ‘And 
that  we  must  gie  him,’  says  Mr.  Witherspoon.  ‘An’  how 
much,  Mr.  Witherspoon,  wull  ye  gie?’  ‘Ten  pounds’,  was 
the  ready  reply.  ‘But,  Mr.  Witherspoon,  whar’ll  ye  git 
the  ten  pounds?’  ‘Why  if  wus  comes  to  wus,  I  ien  can 
sell  my  cow,’  says  he.  Mr.  Willison,  of  Dundee,  was  ac¬ 
cordingly  sent  for  to  preach  the  Gospel  in  the  wilds  of 
America. 

“In  the  fall  of  the  year  1737,  my  grandfather,  John 
Witherspoon,  took  a  disease  called  Rose-in-the-leg,  which 
occasioned  a  fever  from  which  he  died.  He  was  the  first 
person  buried  at  the  Williamsburg  Meeting  House,  which 
he  had  assisted  to  erect.  About  the  same  time,  1737,  my 
father  had  a  daughter,  Elizabeth,  that  died,  aged  three 
years,  born  at  the  place  called  the  Bluff,  where  we  lived. 

“My  grandfather  was  a  man  of  middling  or  common 
stature,  of  a  fine,  healthy  constitution,  of  fair  complexion, 
and  somewhat  bow-legged.  He  was  well  acquainted  with 
the  Scriptures,  had  volubility  in  prayer,  and  was  a  zeal¬ 
ous  adherent  to  the  principles  of  what  was  called  in  his 


THE  KING’S  TREE  AND  TOWNSHIP 


17 


day  the  Reformed  Protestant  Church  of  Scotland.  He 
had  also  a  great  aversion  to  Episcopacy,  and  whoever  will 
impartially  read  the  history  of  the  times  of  his  younger 
years  in  Scotland  will  see  that  his  prejudices  were  not 
without  cause.  It  was  his  lot  to  live  in  a  time  of  great 
distress  to  the  persecuted  Church,  during  the  reign  of 
James  the  Seventh  of  Scotland  and  Second  of  England. 
Being  one  who  followed  field-meetings,  he  and  some  others 
of  his  kindred  were  much  harassed  by  the  Papists.  Yet, 
notwithstanding,  if  his  younger  years  were  attended  with 
some  trouble,  he  still  enjoyed  great  peace  and  tranquility 
in  his  after  life  and  had  the  comfort  and  happiness  of  liv¬ 
ing  to  see  his  seven  children  all  creditably  married  and 
settled  for  thejmselves ;  and,  except  the  death  of  my  grand¬ 
mother,  his  beloved  wife,  he  never  knew  what  it  was  to 
part  by  death  with  one  of  his  own  immediate  family,  a 
blessing  which  few  persons  have  granted  to  them,  espec¬ 
ially  at  his  advanced  age. 

“My  father’s  name  was  James,  the  third  child  and  sec¬ 
ond  son  of  my  grandparents.  He  was  born  at  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  the  present  century,  lived  with  his  parents  at 
Drumbo,  County  of  Down,  until  he  was  twenty-five  years 
old,  when  he  married  my  mother,  whose  name  was  Eliza¬ 
beth  McQuoid,  in  the  twentieth  year  of  her  age. 

“My  grandfather,  Robert  McQuoid,  married  Sarah  Camp¬ 
bell.  They  both  died  in  Ireland,  he  in  1728,  aged  eighty-six, 
and  she  was  aged  about  eighty.  My  father  and  mother  set¬ 
tled  in  the  Parish  of  Graba,  near  the  Canningburn  Mills, 
where  they  lived  about  nine  years  and  sold  their  possessions 
to  embark  for  America.  My  father  brought  the  family  to  my 
grandparents  at  Knockbracken  about  the  1st  of  May,  1734, 
and  left  us  there  until  the  1st  of  September.  In  the  mean¬ 
time,  he  wrought  at  the  reed-making  business.  He  brought 
four  children  on  board  of  the  ship,  viz. :  David,  Robert, 
John,  and  Sarah.  Sarah  died  in  Charleston  shortly  after 


18 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


their  arrival,  and  was  the  first  person  buried  in  the  Scotch 
Meeting  House  Yard. 

“In  May,  1743,  the  Reverend  Mr.  John  Ray  arrived  here 
from  Scotland.  He  came  upon  a  call  which  his  congre¬ 
gation  had  sometime  before  sent  to  the  Reverend  Mr.  John 
Willison,  of  Dundee.  Mr.  Ray  continued  a  faithful, 
zealous,  and  laborious  worker  in  the  congregation  until 
1761.  He  being  abroad  on  a  visit  up  Black  River  was 
taken  sick  with  the  pleurisy  and  died.  The  remains  of  this 
eminently  pious  man  were  brought  down  from  Salem, 
where  he  died,  and  buried  at  the  church  where  he  had  for 
eighteen  years  successfully  labored,  being  about  forty-six 
years  of  age.  i Blessed  are  the  dead  that  die  in  the  Lord 
from  henceforth :  Yea,  saith  the  spirit,  that  they  may  rest 
from  their  labors,  and  their  works  do  follow  them.’ 

“I  was  born  in  Ireland  on  the  20th  day  of  August,  1728, 
was  my  father’s  second  son ;  in  my  youth  he  taught  me  to 
weave,  as  he  also  taught  my  elder  brother,  David,  to  make 
reeds.  The  family  lived  together  at  the  Bluff  until  March, 
1749.  My  father  then  moved  to  Thorntree,  a  place  situated 
between  the  Lower  Bridge  on  Black  River  and  Murray’s 
Ferry  on  the  Santee.  I  there  went  out  and  wrought  at 
the  weaving  business  with  my  uncle,  Gavin  Witherspoon, 
who  lived  at  a  place  called  Megart’s  (McGirts)  Swamp, 
until  the  September  following.  I  went  next  to  overseeing 
for  a  Mr.  Fleming,  near  Black  River  Church,  tAventy-five 
miles  below  King’s  Tree,  where  I  remained  until  January, 
1752,  and  then  returned  to  my  father’s. 

“The  reason  of  my  return  was  that  it  had  pleased  God — 
in  the  last  awful  epidemic  that  prevailed  in  Williamsburg 
in  the  year  1749  and  1750,  usually  called  the  6 Great  Mor¬ 
tality’,  and  which  had  carried  off  near  eighty  persons, 
many  of  them  the  principal  people  or  heads  of  families — 
to  remove  by  death  my  elder  brother,  David,  and  my  sis¬ 
ter,  Jane,  both  in  the  year  1750.  My  father  being  then  in 
a  verv  feeble  and  infifim  state  of  health  and  unable  to  at- 


THE  KING’S  TREE  AND  TOWNSHIP 


19 


tend  to  his  own  business,  I  left  my  own  to  take  care  of  his. 
I  remained  with  my  parents  until  1758,  when,  on  the  2nd 
of  March,  I  married  Elizabeth  Heathly,  a  young  lady  then 
in  the  eighteenth  year  of  her  age,  and  settled  for  myself 
four  miles  below  King’s  Tree  and  near  the  River. 

“I  afterwards  removed  and  settled  one  mile  higher  up 
the  River  nearer  King’s  Tree,  in  1761,  and  immediately 
on  the  public  road  leading  from  that  place  to  the  Lower 
Bridge  on  Black  River.  Here  I  had  a  more  comfortable 
and  healthy  residence,  and  here  also,  I  expect  to  spend  the 
remainder  of  my  days. 

“Our  first  son,  James,  was  born  on  the  20th  of  March, 
1759;  our  second  son,  Thomas,  was  born  on  the  22nd  of 
March,  1761,  and  died  on  the  8th  of  September,  1765, 
aged  four  years  and  six  months ;  our  first  daughter,  Ann, 
was  born  January  4,  1763;  our  third  son,  John,  was  born 
January  20,  1765,  and  died  on  the  24th  of  July,  1767, 
aged  two  years  and  six  months;  our  fourth  son,  Robert, 
was  born  January  29,  1767 ;  our  second  daughter,  Mary, 
was  born  March  20,  1769;  our  third  daughter,  Elizabeth, 
was  born  July  25,  1771;  our  fifth  son,  John,  was  born 
March  17,  1774;  our  sixth  son,  Thomas,  was  born  July 
23,  1776. 

“My  honored  mother  departed  this  life  on  the  22nd 
day  of  January,  1777,  in  the  seventy-second  year  of  her  age, 
and  was  the  last  surviving  branch  of  the  old  stock  of  our 
family.  As  I  have  had  an  intimate  personal  knowledge 
of  their  lives  and  deaths,  I  bear  them  testimony  that  they 
were  servers  of  God,  were  well  acquainted  with  the  Scrip¬ 
tures,  were  much  engaged  in  prayer,  were  strict  observers 
of  the  Sabbath,  in  a  word,  they  were  a  stock  of  people  that 
studied  outward  piety  as  well  as  inward  purity  of  life. 

“Indeed  God  blessed  this  settlement  at  first  with  a  num¬ 
ber  of  eminently  pious  and  devoted  men,  out  of  whom  I 
chose  to  set  down  some  of  their  names,  viz. :  William  Wil¬ 
son,  David  Allen,  William  Hamilton,  John  Porter,  William 


20 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


James,  David  Wilson,  John  James,  James  McCleland,  Rob¬ 
ert  Wilson,  Robert  Paisley,  James  Bradley,  John  Turner, 
William  Frierson,  to  whom  I  add  my  own  father  and  my 
three  uncles,  David,  Robert,  and  Gavin.  These  were  men 
of  great  piety  in  their  day,  indeed  they  were  men  of  re¬ 
nown.  May  the  glorious  King  and  Head  of  the  Church 
for  His  own  glory  still  maintain  and  keep  up  men  of 
piety  and  holiness  as  a  blessing  to  this  place  and  congre¬ 
gation  to  the  latest  posterity  is  the  heart  request  of  the 
unworthy  scribe.” 


CHAPTER  III. 


ORIGINAL  SETTLERS. 

From  1735  to  1737,  a  great  many  settlers  came  to  the 
new  township  on  Black  River  and  practically  every  acre 
of  land  had  been  taken  up  by  these  settlers  within  a  year 
after  the  township  had  been  surveyed.  Every  man  set¬ 
tling  here  was  granted  a  half  acre  town  lot  and  fifty  acres 
of  land  in  the  township  for  himself,  his  wife,  and  each  one 
of  his  children. 

These  are  the  names  of  the  heads  of  families  who  had 
settled  in  Williamsburg  Township  up  to  1737 :  Robert  Alli¬ 
son,  John  Anderson,  James  Armstrong,  David  Arnett, 
James  Adams,  John  Athol,  John  Ballentine,  John  Barnes, 
George  Barr,  Joseph  Barry,  John  Basnett,  Benjamin 
Bates,  Matthew  Bernard,  Joseph  Bignion,  James  Blakely, 
John  Blakely,  John  Bliss,  John  Borland,  Jonathan  Bost- 
wick,  James  Bradley,  Thomas  Brown,  George  Burrows, 
William  Camp,  William  Campbell,  William  Cochran,  John 
Connor,  William  Copeland,  William  Cooper,  James  Craw¬ 
ford,  Thomas  Dale,  John  Dick,  Nathaniel  Drew,  Thomas 
Dial,  Robert  Ervin,  Francis  Finley,  Robert  Finley,  James 
Fisher,  John  Fleming,  John  Frierson,  William  Frierson, 
Aaron  Frierson,  David  Fulton,  James  Gamble,  Roger  Gib¬ 
son,  Gabriel  Girrand,  John  Gotea,  Roger  Gordon,  Francis 
Goddard,  Hugh  Graham,  Hugh  Green,  George  Green, 
Richard  Hall,  Tholnas  Hall,  Archibald  Hamilton,  William 
Hamilton,  Christopher  Harvey,  William  Harvey,  John 
Herron,  George  Hunter,  Peter  Hume,  John  Janies,  Wil¬ 
liam  James,  John  Jamison,  William  Johnson,  Joseph 
Johnson,  David  Johnson,  Abraham  Jordan,  Samuel  Ken¬ 
nedy,  John  Knox,  Crafton  Kerwin,  Richard  Lake,  John 
Lane,  James  Law,  Patrick  Lindsay,  William  Lowry, 
Richard  Malone,  John  Matthews,  Samuel  Montgomery, 
Daniel  Mooney,  John  Moore,  William  Morgan,  Joseph 


22 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Moody,  John  McCullough,  Nathaniel  McCullough,  Daniel 
Murray,  David  McCants,  John  McCants,  Janies  McCauley, 
Janies  McCutchen,  Janies  McClelland,  Alexander  Mc- 
Clinchy,  William  McCormick,  William  McKnight,  John 
McElveen,  Thomas  McCrea,  Alexander  McCrea,  William 
McDole,  Hugh  McGill,  David  McEwen,  James  McEwen, 
Andrew  McClelland,  James  McGee,  Edward  McMahan, 
Matthew  Nelson,  John  Nicholson,  William  Orr,  James 
Pollard,  John  Porter,  John  Pressley,  William  Pressley, 
Edward  Plowden,  John  Robinson,  Joseph  Rhodus,  Andrew 
Rutledge,  John  Scott,  James  Scott,  William  Scott,  James 
Smith,  Charles  Starne,  James  Stuart,  John  Stubbs,  John 
Sykes,  William  Syms,  James  Taylor,  William  Turbeville, 
William  Troublefield,  Matthew  Vannalle,  John  Whitfield, 
William  Williamson,  Henry  Williams,  Anthony  Williams, 
David  Wilson,  John  Wilson,  William  Wilson,  David 
Witherspoon,  Gavin  Witherspoon,  James  Witherspoon, 
John  Witherspoon,  Robert  Witherspoon,  Robert  Wilson, 
and  Robert  Young. 

These  original  settlers  in  Williamsburg  Township  came 
from  England,  Ireland,  Scotland,  Germany,  Holland,  and 
from  the  New  England  States,  Pennsylvania  and  Virginia. 
They  were  all  about  the  same  class  of  men.  They  were 
people  who  had  been  non-conformists  as  to  State-Church 
religion,  and  nearly  all  of  their  families  had  lost  their 
property  in  the  religious  conflicts  of  the  seventeenth  cen¬ 
tury.  The  greater  number  of  them  had  lived  in  Ireland 
for  many  years  before  coming  to  America.  They  had 
migrated  from  England  and  from  Scotland  to  Ireland 
on  account  of  fair  promises  on  the  part  of  the  English 
King.  These  failing  them,  they  sought  refuge  in  America. 

The  Blakelvs,  Bradleys,  Browns,  Finleys,  Gambles, 
Halls,  Humes,  Johnsons,  Matthews,  Murrays,  Nelsons, 
Plowdens,  Rutledges,  Taylors,  and  Wilsons  were  of  Eng¬ 
lish  blood.  The  Barrs,  Dials,  and  others  were  of  German 
descent.  The  Bignions,  Janneretts,  Vanalles,  and  Orrs 


ORIGINAL  SETTLERS 


23 


were  of  Swiss  origin.  The  Barrys,  Kennedys,  Lindsays, 
Lowrys,  Malones,  and  Morgans  were  Irish.  The  Arnetts, 
Campbells,  Crawfords,  Ervins,  Friersons,  Fultons,  Flem¬ 
ings,  Grahams,  Hamiltons,  Montgomerys,  McColloughs, 
McCreas,  McGills,  Pressleys,  Scotts,  and  Witherspoons 
were  Scoteh-Irish.  The  Williams  and  the  James  families 
were  Welsh. 

Within  the  territory  limits  of  what  is  now  Williamsburg 
County,  but  outside  of  Williamsburg  Township  as  surveyed 
in  1736,  and  whose  names  have  not  heretofore  been  men¬ 
tioned,  had  settled  the  following:  William  and  Hesther 
Brown;  John  and  Sarah  Lane;  Daniel  and  Sarah  Shaw; 
Caleb  and  Mary  Avant;  Samuel  and  Mary  Miller  ;  John 
and  Hannah  Avant;  John  and  Martha  Thompson;  An¬ 
thony  and  Mary  Atkinson;  Anthony  and  Mary  White; 
John  and  Elizabeth  Green;  John  and  Anne  Brunson;  John 
and  Mary  McIntosh;  John  and  Elizabeth  Cribb;  Thomas 
and  Elizabeth  Cribb;  John  and  Margaret  Henlin;  Thomas 
and  Mary  Harrington;  William  and  Mary  Barton;  John 
and  Rebecca  Evans ;  William  and  Mary  Heathly ;  William 
and  Lydia  Green;  William  and  Margaret  Turbeville; 
Joseph  and  Ann  Rhodus;  James  and  Priscilla  McGirt; 
Joseph  and  Mary  Cantey;  Samuel  and  Anne  Cantey;  Wil¬ 
liam  and  Mary  Snow;  Robert  and  Mary  Oliver;  Abraham 
and  Lydia  Michaux;  Michael  and  Mary  Murphy;  James 
and  Elizabeth  McPherson;  John  and  Lucretia  McDowell; 
William  and  Elizabeth  Chicken;  William  and  Elizabeth 
McGee;  John  and  Sarah  Frierson;  Henry  and  Rebecca 
Bennett  ;  Paul  and  Margaret  Jaudon;  William  Cooper, 
Francis  Cordes,  Peter  Guerry,  William  Saunders;  John 
and  Ann  Leger;  Daniel  and  Mary  McDaniel;  Jonathan 
and  Hesther  Christmas;  John  and  Ann  Conyers;  Bryan 
and  Mary  Kennedy;  James  and  Frances  Jenner;  John 
and  Isabella  Jamison;  James  and  Cassiah  Crawford; 
Hardy  and  Elizabeth  Futhy;  Thomas  and  Mary  Mc¬ 
Cormick;  Anthony  and  Ann  Phillips;  Alexander  and 


24 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Priscilla  Campbell;  John  and  Elizabeth  Kelly;  John  and 
Elizabeth  McDonald;  Thomas  and  Dorothy  Jenkins; 
Richard  and  Elizabeth  Jones;  John  and  Philadelphia 
Turbeville;  John  and  Margaret  Lee;  Stephen  and  Eliza¬ 
beth  DuBose;  John  and  Rebecca  Hodges;  John  and  Mary 
Singleton;  William  and  Sarah  Purvis;  John  and  Arabella 
Scott ;  Lodowick  and  Anne  Hudson ;  Daniel  and  Susannah 
McGinney;  William  and  Jane  Green;  John  and  Elizabeth 
Dozier;  John  and  Hannah  Davis;  James  and  Mehitabel 
Boyd;  John  and  Mary  Britton  Sinkler;  William  and  Sarah 
Tompkins  Dinkins;  Moses  and  Hester  Jolly  Britton; 
Alexander  and  Elizabeth  Ball  Davidson ;  Charles  and 
Susannah  Sanders  Turbeville ;  Moses  Britton ;  Daniel  and 
Elizabeth  Hyrney  Britton ;  George  and  Hannah  Saunders ; 
and  Peter  and  Isabel  Tamplet. 

These  people  settled  along  Black  River  from  the  point 
where  it  turns  abruptly  Northward,  just  after  entering 
Georgetown  County  from  Williamsburg  County,  and  along 
the  present  Williamsburg-Georgetown  County  line  to  the 
Pee  Dee  River.  This  settlement  was  called  Winy  aw,  and 
this  was  the  first  part  of  the  present  County  of  Williams¬ 
burg  that  was  inhabited  by  white  people.  Some  of  these 
people  lived  there  in  1710.  They  organized  Prince  Fred¬ 
erick’s  Church  in  1713. 

Reverend  William  Screven  and  his  Congregation  of  Dis¬ 
senters  from  the  Church  of  England  were  the  first  per¬ 
manent  settlers  in  the  Winyaw  section.  They  were  granted 
a  large  part  of  the  territory  on  both  sides  of  that  section 
of  Black  River  flowing  through  ancient  Winyaw.  While 
Mr.  Screven  was  a  militant  Antipaedo-Baptist,  many  of 
the  Dissenters  who  came  with  him  were  of  the  Presby¬ 
terian  faith. 

The  names  of  some  of  these  Baptist  and  Presbyterian 
Dissenters  who  settled  in  Winyaw  along  Black  River  and 
Black  Mingo  from  1700  to  1736  were:  Reverend  William 
Screven,  and  his  sons,  Elisha,  Robert  and  William;  John 


ORIGINAL  SETTLERS 


25 


Peter  Somerhoeff,  Dugal  MacKeithan,  John  Nesmith,  Wil¬ 
liam  Brockinton,  John  Godfrey,  Jonah  Collins,  Sabrine 
Burnett,  Alexander  McGuinness,  David  Fulton,  Dr. 
Thomas  Potts,  William  Shepard,  Dr.  James  King,  John 
Hendlin,  Samuel  Commander,  Joseph  Commander,  John 
Commander,  Joshua  Green,  Samuel  Vareen,  Thomas  Wood, 
Jeremiah  Vareen,  Jonathan  Westberry,  Nathaniel  Pygott, 
John  McNally,  Joseph  Chandler,  James  Armstrong,  Isaac 
Brunson,  Thomas  Boone,  James  Hoole,  Joshua  Jolly,  John 
Wallace,  Thomas  North,  Dr.  John  A.  Fincke,  William 
Davis,  Sr.,  Francis  Futhy,  William  McFarland,  Ebenezer 
Jones,  James  Cunningham,  Samuel  Jenkins,  Charles  Bax¬ 
ter,  William  Fraser,  George  Powell,  Dr.  John  Cantzor, 
David  Mclver,  Abraham  Giles,  Daniel  Myers,  and  William 
Daniel. 

From  the  South  from  1720  to  1737,  there  crossed  over 
the  Santee  River  at  Lenud’s  Ferry  into  Williamsburg  many 
French  Huguenots,  who  had  fled  in  1685  from  their  native 
land  after  the  Revocation  of  the  Edict  of  Nantes  to 
Charleston  and  had  gradually  gone  Northward.  Among 
these  were  John  Leger,  Peter  Lequex,  John  Perret,  Noah 
Sere,  Henry  Bedon,  James  Sinclair,  Abraham  Perdreau, 
Henry  Mouzon,  Francis  Lesesne,  Abraham  Michau,  Paul 
Jaudon,  Peter  Gourdin,  Theodore  Gourdin,  James  Ferdon, 
Daniel  Bluset,  Abraham  Lenud,  Paul  Bonneau,  and  Rene 
Richbourgh. 

There  were  a  large  number  of  settlers  who  came  to  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  during  the  period  from  1737  to  1775.  Among 
them  were  John  Gregg,  John  Boone,  John  Burgess,  Wil¬ 
liam  Burgess,  William  Byrd,  John  Cameron,  James  Ken¬ 
nedy,  Charles  Cantley,  Benjamin  Capell,  George  Chandler, 
William  Cockfield,  Arthur  Cunningham,  Daniel  Epps, 
James  Ferguson,  Henry  O’Neal,  Ebenezer  Bagnal,  James 
Conyers,  Charles  F.  Gordon,  William  Gordon,  David  Gor¬ 
don,  Dr.  John  Graham,  John  Grant,  James  Harper,  Drury 
Harrington,  Daniel  Holliday,  William  Holliday,  Samuel 


26 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Haselden,  George  McCutchen,  Andrew  Patterson,  William 
Reagin,  William  McDonald,  Jeremiah  Rowell,  Peter  Sal¬ 
ters,  Richard  Singletary,  Matthew  Singleton,  William 
Douglas,  John  and  Mary  Dickey,  James  Dickey,  Charles 
McCallister.  These  were  nearly  all  Scotch-Irish,  coming 
here,  in  most  cases,  from  the  Scotch-Irish  settlement  in 
Pennsylvania,  Some  of  them,  however,  came  directly  from 
Ireland. 

While  there  were  among  these  original  settlers  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  men  and  women  of  English,  Scotch,  French, 
Irish,  Welsh,  German,  and  Danish  descent,  most  of  them 
came  to  this  district  from  Ireland.  The  Scotch-Irish  ele¬ 
ment,  largely  influenced  by  the  French  Huguenot,  soon 
gained  the  ascendency,  and  has  remained  the  dominant 
element  in  the  life  of  Williamsburg. 


CHAPTER  IV. 


THE  PEOPLE  WHO  SETTLED  WILLIAMSBURG. 

The  history  of  the  Scotch-Irish  for  more  than  two  thou¬ 
sand  years  is  one  continuous  story  of  hardihood  made 
splendid  by  heroism.  Some  students  think  they  were 
descendants  of  the  Gog  of  Magog,  of  whom  Ezekiel  writes, 
and  connected  with  the  Scythians  whom  Alexander  fought 
and  failed  to  conquer.  Others  believe  they  were  the  back¬ 
bone  of  the  warlike  tribe  of  Sahi  that  so  disturbed  the 
Assyrian  King  Asurbanipal  (668-626  B.  C.) 

It  is  generally  accepted  that  these  Scotch-Irish  were  the 
same  nomad  tribes  that  worked  their  way  eastward  along 
the  shores  of  the  Black  Sea,  by  the  Danube  through  Swit¬ 
zerland  and  France  and  Spain,  from  whence  they  went 
into  Ireland  before  the  days  of  Saint  Patrick.  After  spend¬ 
ing  six  centuries  in  Ireland,  some  of  them  crossed  over 
the  Irish  Sea  into  North  Britain.  Here  they  fought  the 
Piets  continuously  for  hundreds  of  years.  After  remain¬ 
ing  in  Scotland  for  almost  a  thousand  years,  during  which 
time  they  gave  this  land  a  name  and  made  it  a  “thing  of 
the  soul,”  in  the  seventeenth  century,  they  turned  again 
home  into  Ireland,  and  settled  in  Counties  Down  and 
Antrim,  along  the  northern  shores. 

In  his  wars  on  the  Roman  Catholics  in  Ireland,  James  I 
destroyed  almost  all  of  the  people  who  lived  in  the  northern 
portion  of  Ireland,  Counties  Donegal,  Londonderry, 
Tyrone,  Armagh,  Antrim,  and  Down.  This  part  of  Ire¬ 
land  was  left  a  wilderness  after  his  forces  had  completed 
their  conquest. 

There  were,  in  Scotland,  at  this  time,  a  great  many  men 
of  influence  and  power  who  were  Roman  Catholics,  and 
who  continuously  made  the  lives  of  these  Presbyterians 
burdensome  and  their  condition  intolerable.  After  this 
northern  part  of  Ireland  had  been  cleared  of  Roman  Cath- 


28 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


olics  and  their  property  confiscated,  the  English  Govern¬ 
ment  induced  a  great  many  of  these  Scotch  Congregation- 
alists,  living  in  Argyll,  Sterling,  Renfrew,  Glasgow,  Lan¬ 
ark,  Ayr,  and  Bute,  to  cross  the  North  Channel  into 
Counties  Antrim  and  Down,  Ireland,  and  there  repopu¬ 
late  the  country.  These  Scotch  were  made  fair  promises, 
both  as  to  the  ownership  of  the  land  and  as  to  permission 
to  enjoy  their  own  religion.  They  came  in  great  numbers. 
When  William  of  Orange  ascended  the  throne  of  England, 
it  seemed  that  these  Congregationalists,  or  Presbyterians, 
in  Scotland,  and  especially  in  Ireland,  would  enjoy  the 
right  to  work  out  their  own  spiritual  salvation  according 
to  their  own  notions.  It  was  at  this  time  that  most  of 
the  Scotch,  who  later  came  to  Williamsburg,  migrated 
into  the  Counties  Down  and  Antrim,  Ireland. 

For  about  thirty  years,  the  Scotch,  who  had  gone  into 
the  north  of  Ireland,  thought  that  they  had  found  the 
promised  land.  They  understood  they  had  received  abso¬ 
lute  titles  to  the  lands  on  which  they  lived  and  went  to 
work  immediately  to  develop  them.  They  were  industri¬ 
ous  and  frugal  by  nature.  Later,  after  they  had  trans¬ 
formed  a  wilderness  into  a  pleasing  place  for  human  habi¬ 
tation,  they  realized  that  they  had  been  tricked  when  they 
were  forced  to  submit  to  the  imposition  of  enormous  rents 
imposed  by  absentee  landlords. 

Many  of  these  Scotch-Irish,  as  they  then  had  begun  to  be 
called,  chose  to  leave  the  foundations  which  they  had  laid 
in  Ireland,  and  migrate  to  America.  Many  of  them  about 
1720  came  to  the  New  England  States,  Pennsylvania  and 
South  Carolina,  but  most  of  the  original  settlers  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  elected  to  remain  in  Ireland  until  about  1735, 
when  they  came  direct  to  Williamsburg  Township.  A 
few  of  them  had  come  to  this  section  between  1725  and 
1732  and  had  settled  on  Black  River. 


PEOPLE  WHO  SETTLED  WILLIAMSBURG  29 


Many  of  these  original  Scotch-Irish  settlers  can  trace 
their  lineage  until  pleasing  records  run  into  beautiful  tra¬ 
dition.  The  following  are  taken  as  types: 

John  Nesmith  settled  North  of  Black  Mingo  in  Williams¬ 
burg  in  1725.  He  was  the  progenitor  of  all  the  Nesmiths 
of  this  section.  He  was  born  on  the  shores  of  the  River 
Bann  in  the  North  of  Ireland  in  1670  and  died  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  in  1750. 

The  Nesmiths  have  owned  land  on  the  Tweed  since  the 
thirteenth  century.  Twelve  miles  from  Glasgow  are  two 
ancient  homes  of  the  family,  one  at  Hamilton  and  another 
at  Auchingraymont,  The  name  is  said  to  have  originated 
in  this  way :  Between  September  8,  1249,  when  Alexander 
III,  of  Scotland,  was  crowned  King,  and  March  16,  1286, 
when  he  died,  the  story  goes,  an  aide-de-camp  of  the 
King  on  the  eve  of  a  battle  was  required  by  him  to  mend 
his  armor.  Though  a  man  of  powerful  physique  and  a 
brave  warrior,  he  was  unsuccessful  as  a  mechanic.  For 
his  prowess,  great  daring,  and  achievements  in  the  battle, 
he  was  knighted  by  the  King,  with  this  laconic  saying, 
“Although  he  is  nae  smith,  he  is  a  brave  gentleman.’’  The 
armorial  bearings  of  the  family  refer  to  this  remark:  A 
drawn  sword  between  two  war  “martels”  broken,  with 
the  motto  in  old  Scotch  dialect,  “Not  by  knavery,  but  by 
bravery.” 

John  Scott  settled  at  the  King’s  Tree  on  Black  River 
November  1,  1732.  From  that  day  until  this,  March  7, 
1923,  there  has  lived  a  John  Scott  at  the  King’s  Tree  in 
Williamsburg.  The  original  settler  was  born  in  Galloway, 
Scotland,  in  1665,  migrated  to  County  Down,  Ireland, 
in  1690,  and  died  in  Williamsburg  in  1749. 

Legend  says  two  brothers  of  GalloAvay,  banished  for 
participation  in  a  rebellion,  retired  to  Rankelburn  in 
Ettrick  Forest,  where  the  keeper  received  them  gladly  on 
account  of  their  skill  in  the  chase.  Soon  afterwards, 
Kenneth  MacAlpin,  King  of  Scotland,  came  to  hunt  in  this 


30 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


royal  forest  and  pursued  a  buck  from  Ettrick  to  the  glen 
now  called  Buccleuch.  Here  the  stag  stood  at  bay  on  the 
top  of  a  steep  hill,  and  the  King  and  his  attendants  were 
thrown  when  attempting  to  reach  the  object  of  that  chase. 
John,  one  of  the  brothers  from  Galloway,  had  followed 
the  hunting  party  on  foot ;  and,  coming  in,  ran  up  the  hill, 
seized  the  buck  by  the  horns,  threw  him  across  his  shoul¬ 
ders  and  ran  about  a  mile  to  Cracracross,  where  Kenneth 
had  halted,  and  laid  his  prey  at  his  sovereign’s  feet.  Ken¬ 
neth  then  said : 

“And  for  tile  buck  thou  stoutly  brought 
To  us  up  that  steep  heuch, 

Thy  designation  ever  shall 
Be  John  Scott  in  Bucksleuch.” 

This  line  of  Scotts  is  one  of  the  most  illustrious  and 
ancient  in  Scottish  history.  As  well  at  Flodden  as  on 
other  famous  fields,  the  banner  of  the  Scotts  has  ever 
shone  in  the  far  flung  battle  line.  The  coat  of  arms  is 
thus  described  in  Burke:  Gold  on  a  bend  a  mullet  of  six 
points  two  crescents  gold ;  Crest,  a  stag  proper  horned  and 
hoofed  gold. 

John  Witherspoon  settled  on  Boggy  Swamp  in  Williams¬ 
burg  in  1734,  and  died  in  1737.  He  was  the  first  person 
buried  at  the  Williamsburg  Meeting  House.  He  was  born 
near  Glasgow  in  1670,  moved  to  County  Down,  Ireland, 
in  1695,  from  whence  he  came  to  this  country. 

He  was  the  great  grandson  of  John  Knox  and  his  sec¬ 
ond  wife,  Margaret  Stuart.  From  his  Stuart  great  grand¬ 
mother,  he  drew  some  of  the  blood  of  Robert  Bruce  as 
well  as  that  of  other  Scotsmen  of  great  strength  and  power 
— even  from  the  Laird  who  became  Shakespere’s  Banquo’s 
Ghost. 

Witherspoon  is  an  old  Scottish  name  and  is  frequently 
mentioned  in  accounts  of  ancient  battles.  A  description 
of  the  coat  of  arms  may  be  found  in  Burke’s  Armory.  The 


PEOPLE  WHO  SETTLED  WILLIAMSBURG  31 


cross  and  crescents  thereon  indicate  crusader  ancestry  and 
the  engrailed  cross  denotes  possession  of  landed  estates. 

Dr.  John  Witherspoon,  President  of  Princeton,  member 
of  the  Continental  Congress,  and  signer  of  the  Declaration 
of  Independence,  was  a  nephew  of  the  John  Witherspoon, 
original  settler  in  Williamsburg. 

John  Gregg  settled  on  Cedar  Swamp  in  Williamsburg 
in  1752.  He  was  a  son  of  Captain  David  MacGregor  of 
the  army  of  William  of  Orange.  After  the  war,  Captain 
MacGregor  settled  in  Londonderry,  Ireland,  where  later 
he  was  massacred  by  Irish  Roman  Catholics.  John  Gregg’s 
mother  migrated  with  him  and  his  three  brothers  to  Bos¬ 
ton  in  1717.  As  an  old  man,  he  finally  came  to  this  town¬ 
ship. 

The  Gregg  family  is  one  of  the  most  ancient  and  most 
honorable  of  the  Irish-Scots.  A  Celtic  proverb  says,  “The 
mountains,  the  MacGregors  and  the  Devil  are  coeval.” 
Another  Highland  saying  runs,  “Where  MacGregor  sits, 
that  is  the  head  of  the  table.”  Gregg,  or  Gregory  the  Great, 
as  he  is  known  in  history,  was  the  fourth  King  of  the 
Alpin  line  and  reigned  from  876  to  893.  He  was  of  mixed 
Scottish  and  Pictisli  descent.  The  next  Gregg  King  of 
Scotland  was  ninth  in  line  after  Gregory  the  Great.  His 
grand  daughter,  Lady  Gruoch,  was  the  Lady  MacBeth 
of  history  and  of  Shakesperian  drama.  A  description  of  the 
Gregg  crest  and  coat  of  arms  may  be  found  in  Burke’s 
Peerage.  The  ancient  motto  of  the  family  was  “S’rioghail 
Mo  Dreahm,”  (My  race  is  royal.) 

Much  romantic  interest  attaches  to  the  Gregg  clan.  It 
lived  under  act  of  attainder  for  about  three  centuries, 
during  which  time  it  was  unlawful  to  name  a  child  Gregg 
or  MacGregor.  They  called  themselves  outwardly  Drum¬ 
mond  or  Murray,  but  every  Gregg  knew  his  name.  Notwith¬ 
standing  this  terrible  ordeal  of  attainder  for  such  a  long 
time  inflicted  by  their  government,  and  even  though  they 
could  not  call  themselves  by  their  own  name,  when  Charles 


32 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


II  sought  to  regain  the  throne  of  England  from  the  younger 
Cromwell,  every  member  of  the  clan,  by  whatsoever  name 
known,  promptly  enlisted  under  the  banner  of  the  man 
who  had  the  royal  blood.  The  Greggs  remembered  that 
they  had  occupied  the  throne,  and  it  was  then  the  Stuart’s 
turn.  For  this  supreme  evidence  of  loyalty,  Charles  II, 
immediately  after  the  Restoration,  removed  the  attainder 
from  them  and  they  used  their  rightful  name. 

Probably  one  half  of  the  white  people  of  present  day 
Williamsburg  have  in  their  veins  some  of  the  blood  of  one 
of  these  four  original  settlers,  John  Nesmith,  John  Scott, 
John  Witherspoon,  and  John  Gregg.  All  of  their  descen¬ 
dants  seem  to  have  believed  in  marrying  early  and  as  often 
as  the  law  allowed.  Their  tribes  have  increased. 

It  is  an  old  Scotch  custom  which  seals  the  lips  of  elders 
everywhere  but  around  their  own  firesides.  No  Nesmith, 
nor  Scott,  nor  Witherspoon,  nor  Gregg,  of  the  “straitest 
sect,”  would  tell  the  foregoing  tales  of  royal  lines  and 
loyal  service,  save  to  his  own  sons,  when  a  look  would 
seal  the  story  within  the  family  circle.  Centuries  of  severe 
struggles  as  non-comformists  have  taught  these  Scotch- 
Irish  or  Irish-Scots  many  things,  not  the  least  of  which 
is  the  value  of  keeping  within  yourself  what  little  con¬ 
cerns  only  yourself. 

This  habit  of  concealing  within  the  family  as  much  as 
possible  of  its  history  has  made  tradition  in  Williamsburg 
exceedingly  rich.  Further,  the  effect  of  these  tales  told 
by  fathers  in  sacred  secrecy  to  sons  has  made  a  wonderful 
morale  among  these  Scotch-Irish.  Follow  down  the  years 
the  several  Scotch-Irish  names  on  the  roll  of  original  set¬ 
tlers  in  Williamsburg  and  some  uncanny  force  will  be  felt 
calling  all  generations  to  answer  the  first  roll  call  to  war 
and  to  respond  effectively  in  every  emergency. 

The  French  Huguenots  who  came  to  Williamsburg  were 
strikingly  like  the  Scotch-Irish  in  fundamental  racial 
traits  and  instinct.  It  is  believed  that  the  Huguenots  were 


PEOPLE  WHO  SETTLED  WILLIAMSBURG  33 


derived  from  the  same  nomads  that  passed  through 
France  on  their  way  to  Scotland,  some  of  these  having 
elected  to  remain  along  the  Rhone.  The  easy  union  of  the 
sons  of  Francis  Lesesne,  Theodore  Gourdin,  and  Henry 
Mouzon,  who  dwelt  along  the  North  bank  of  the  Santee, 
with  the  sons  of  Samuel  Montgomery,  John  McCullough, 
and  Hugh  McGill,  who  lived  at  the  King’s  Tree,  in  all  es¬ 
sential  pioneer  matters,  notwithstanding  the  fact  they 
spoke  different  languages,  shows  much  to  the  student. 

History  tells  no  more  pathetic  tale  than  the  story  of 
these  French  Huguenots, — how  persecution,  in  the  name 
of  the  merciful  Fisherman,  drove  them  from  the  citron 
groves  and  sunny  vineyards  of  France  into  the  wilderness 
of  America.  A  traveler  in  this  Santee  countrv  in  1721 
wrote  most  vividly  of  what  he  saw  among  these  people 
and  of  how  bravely  and  uncomplainingly  they  were  strug¬ 
gling  with  famine  and  fever  in  this  strange  land.  They 
won.  Sacred  fire,  older  than  the  Caesars,  still  burns  in 
their  bosoms. 

Another  distinctive  race  out  of  which  Williamsburg 
has  come  was  the  English  that  settled  along  Black  Mingo 
and  Black  River.  Among  these,  when  they  came,  there 
were  two  distinct  and  well  defined  factions,  to  wit :  Those 
who  were  communicants  of  the  Church  of  England  and 
those  who  were  Dissenters.  Each  of  these  two  classes 
showed  factional  differences.  The  stricter  sectarians  of 
the  Church  of  England  along  Black  River,  of  whom  An¬ 
thony  White  and  Meredith  Hughes  are  selected  as  typical, 
struggled  along  for  years  with  the  ever  increasing  Dissen¬ 
ter  forces  and  finally  abandoned  Prince  Frederick’s  Church 
and  the  community.  The  other  element  of  these  adherents 
of  Prince  Frederick’s  Church,  of  whom  Edward  Plowden, 
James  Gamble,  and  Thomas  McCrea  are  representative, 
finally  joined  the  Dissenters  becoming  members  of  the 
Presbyterian  Congregations  of  Black  Mingo  and  of  Indian- 


34 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


town.  This  element  has  remained  in  Williamsburg  to  this 
day. 

The  two  elements  among  the  original  Dissenters  of  the 
Winyaw  country  were  the  Presbyterian  and  the  Antipaedo 
Baptists.  Typical  of  the  Presbyterians  were  Alexander 
McKnight  and  David  Mclver.  Their  descendants  sup’ 
ported  the  ancient  Black  Mingo  Church  until  it  failed 
and  then  united  with  other  Presbyterian  Congregations. 
This  class  were  Scotsmen  of  the  ancient  faith  and  tradi¬ 
tions.  The  Antipaedo  Baptist  Dissenting  element  was  dom¬ 
inated  by  Elisha  Screven  and  his  brothers.  This  element 
was  composed  almost  entirely  of  the  Screven  family  and 
the  descendants  of  the  retainers  that  the  Reverend  William 
Screven  had  brought  with  him  into  Carolina. 

The  Reverend  William  Screven  was  the  Father  of  the 
Baptist  denomination  in  South  Carolina  and  his  influence 
on  the  religious  history  of  the  South  has  not  been  less  than 
that  of  Roger  Williams  in  the  North.  In  his  youth,  he 
was  educated  for  priesthood  in  the  Church  of  England. 
Later,  he  was  overcome  by  the  idea  that  immersion  was 
the  only  authorized  form  of  baptism  and  dissented  from 
the  Church  of  England.  He  married  Bridget  Cutt, 
daughter  of  the  Governor  of  Jamaica,  whose  mother  mar¬ 
ried  a  Champernown  the  second  time,  and  hence  became 
connected  with  some  of  the  oldest  and  most  distinguished 
families  of  England.  On  account  of  his  faith  in  immersion 
and  of  the  feeling  of  his  wife’s  Church  of  England  rela¬ 
tives  against  him  for  preaching  to  dissenting  congrega¬ 
tions,  he  migrated  to  Kittery,  Maine,  where  he  had  ex¬ 
pected  to  preach  the  Gospel  according  to  his  own  notion, 
and  without  let  or  hindrance.  But,  even  in  this  wild,  un¬ 
settled  Colony  of  Maine,  the  Church  of  England  still  per¬ 
secuted  him;  and,  for  some  of  his  preaching,  the  Eccle¬ 
siastical  Courts  had  him  arrested  and  placed  under  bond 
not  to  preach  the  Antipaedo  Baptist  doctrine  in  Maine. 


PEOPLE  WHO  SETTLED  WILLIAMSBURG  35 


In  1696,  be  brought  with  him  from  Kittery,  Maine,  his 
congregation  to  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  obtained  a 
grant  of  land  in  what  is  now  Berkeley  County,  and  settled 
there  on  his  plantation,  “Somerton”.  A  few  years  later, 
Mr.  Screven  abandoned  his  Somerton  plantation  and 
moved  to  Charleston,  where  he  organized  the  first  Bap¬ 
tist  Church  in  that  city.  Afterwards,  about  1705,  he  se¬ 
cured  land  on  Black  River  and  there  located  as  the  first 
English  settler  in  the  Black  Mingo  country.  He  saw  the 
future  for  a  seaport,  about  twenty  miles  down  the  River 
from  his  Winyaw  plantation,  and  there  planned  to  lay 
out  Georgetown.  He  died,  however,  in  1713,  before  that 
work  had  been  done. 

Mr.  Screven  was  a  strong  man.  It  seems  that  one  drop 
of  his  blood  will  make  a  deep  water  Baptist,  even  two 
centuries  after  his  death.  An  excellent  illustration  of  this 
is  found  in  the  McCullough  family  of  Williamsburg.  John 
McCullough,  original  settler  in  1736,  was  a  Presbyterian 
of  the  severest  type.  He  married  a  daughter  of  William 
James,  herself  a  Presbyterian  of  the  same  kind.  All  of  the 
McCulloughs  were  Presbyterians  until  one  of  them  married 
a  woman  of  Screven  blood.  All  generations  of  the  Mc¬ 
Culloughs  descended  from  this  woman  have  been  Baptists. 
One  of  them  now  living  in  Williamsburg,  John  Graham 
McCullough,  is  a  leader  of  his  denomination  in  this  section. 

The  Reverend  Elisha  Screven  was  a  director  of  both  tem¬ 
poral  and  spiritual  affairs  in  Winyaw.  In  1734,  he  made 
a  deed  of  trust  to  two  hundred  seventy  acres  of  land  for  the 
city  of  Georgetown,  granting  plots  for  the  necessary  public 
buildings  and  for  the  churches  of  all  religious  denomina¬ 
tions  then  represented  in  the  Colony  of  South  Carolina. 

The  people  of  Williamsburg  were  strikingly  alike,  al¬ 
though  born  of  many  nations.  Probably  no  part  of  the 
American  continent  began  its  existence  with  a  more  homo¬ 
genous  colony.  They  were  known  as  “poor  Protestants/’ 


36 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


those  who  had  been  reduced  to  poverty  on  account  of  the 
politico-religious  wars  of  the  seventeenth  century. 

During  the  seventeenth  century,  there  were  three  great 
Church  factions  in  Great  Britian  continuously  warring 
for  supremacy.  These  schemes  were  called  by  Green 
Popery,  Prelacy,  and  Presbyterianism.  While  each  one 
claimed  that  it,  only,  knew  and  offered  the  way,  the  truth 
and  the  life  from  this  world  to  a  better  one,  students  of 
history  know  full  well  that  the  leaders  of  each  one  of  these 
three  great  Church  systems  were  seeking  more  for  tem¬ 
poral  power  and  dominion  than  for  spiritual  grace  and 
salvation.  The  fact  is,  in  the  seventeenth  century,  Popery 
and  Prelacy  and  Presbyterianism  were  simply  three  great 
relentless  political  parties  that  worked  for  success  and 
counted  not  the  cost  of  human  suffering  and  human  woe. 

It  may  be  said,  however,  that  the  party  denominated 
Prelacy  did  not  use  such  fearful  means  for  promoting  its 
ends  as  did  Popery  or  Presbyterianism.  By  Prelacy  is 
meant  the  scheme  of  the  Church  of  England.  The  Pres¬ 
byterian  idea  and  the  Papal  idea  had  been,  up  to  this 
time,  the  two  great  warring  Church  factions.  The  Church 
of  England  grew  out  of  an  attempted  compromise  between 
the  other  two  uncompromising  schemes.  It  essayed  to 
appropriate  the  body  of  Roman  Catholicism  and  to 
breathe  into  it  the  breath  of  Presbvterianism. 

The  severities  practiced  by  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
and  by  the  Presbyterians  in  the  name  of  the  merciful 
Nazarene  were  limited  only  by  the  mental  abilities  of  their 
leaders.  Both  Papacy  and  Presbyterianism  used  the  gib¬ 
bet,  the  rack,  the  torch,  the  screw,  and  the  cross,  in  Eng¬ 
land  and  in  Scotland  and  in  Ireland,  whenever  they  had 
opportunity,  up  to  the  time  of  Oliver  Cromwell.  Oliver 
Cromwell  and  his  Ironsides  made  the  English  speaking 
world  realize  the  inhumanity  and  the  absurdity  of  both 
Roman  Catholicism  and  of  Presbyterianism  at  that  time. 


PEOPLE  WHO  SETTLED  WILLIAMSBURG  37 


Oliver  Cromwell  was  the  first  man  who  applied  the  rule 
of  reason  to  the  Christian  religion  in  England. 

It  is  true  that  much  of  the  absurdity  in  Puritanism  grew 
out  of  his  labors;  but  when  he  made  the  average  man  in 
England  realize  that  neither  the  Roman  Catholic  Church 
nor  the  Presbyterian  Congregations  controlled  the  keys 
to  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven,  he  made  a  great  contribution 
to  the  world.  He  hated  alike  Roman  Catholicism  and 
Presbyterianism,  and  cared  but  little  for  the  compro¬ 
mise,  the  Church  of  England.  John  Milton,  his  Latin 
Secretary,  recorded  that  he  said,  “Presbyter  is  but  priest 
writ  large.”  Cromwell  punished  alike  the  criminal  priests 
and  the  presbuteros,  who  were  violating  the  principles 
of  humanity  in  the  names  of  their  political  religions. 

It  was  out  of  these  fierce  religious  wars  that  the  settlers 
of  Williamsburg  came.  Many  of  them  had  lost  their 
fathers  in  Scotland  and  Ireland,  when,  incited  by  their 
religious  leaders,  their  own  tribes  had  undertaken  to  ex¬ 
terminate  a  settlement  of  Roman  Catholics  or  a  force  of 
Roman  Catholics  had  attacked  them. 

The  deepest  desire  of  every  one  of  the  original  settlers, 
who  came  to  Williamsburg,  was  to  be  let  alone  by  every¬ 
body  and  by  everything,  from  his  nearest  neighbor  to  the 
King  of  England ;  and  every  settler  in  Williamsburg 
Township  realized  that  every  other  settler  was  dominated 
by  the  same  desire.  Each  man  built  his  pioneer  hut  as 
far  away  from  the  blazed  trails,  called  roads,  as  was  pos¬ 
sible,  and  where  it  was  most  inaccessible  from  these  beaten 
ways.  They  found  abiding  peace  in  these  wilds  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg. 


CHAPTER  V. 


ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS. 

Priests  and  kings  could  not  make  these  Scotch-Irish 
conform  to  a  religion  which  was  not  of  their  very  own, 
but  these  same  priests  and  kings  could  withhold  lands 
from  them  and  could  confiscate  what  little  worldly  goods 
the  Scotch-Irish  accumulated  from  time  to  time. 

The  original  settlers  of  Williamsburg  came  to  this 
wilderness  for  economic  reasons — to  secure  titles  to  land 
and  to  make  it  bring  forth  what  was  necessary  for  their 
sustenance  and  comfort.  They  were  called  “Poor-Protes- 
tants”  when  they  came  and  were  so  described  in  official 
records  of  South  Carolina  until  the  War  of  the  Revolu¬ 
tion.  Their  struggles  against  the  fearful  power  of  the 
mediaeval  political  state  church  gods  had  made  them  poor, 
and  had  bereft  them  of  all  save  their  strong  bodies  and 
their  unconquerable  spirits. 

These  Scotch-Irish  paid  their  passage  to  this  province, 
but  accepted  aid  from  the  King  in  the  way  of  provisions 
and  agricultural  implements  for  the  first  few  years.  It 
takes  a  strong  imagination  to  conceive  the  conditions  the 
first  forty  found  when  they  arrived  at  the  King’s  Tree  on 
Black  River  in  1732.  Immediately  surrounding  the  King’s 
Tree  were  swamp  lands  within  which  sandy  pine  barrens 
were  scattered.  These  swamps  were  thickly  covered  with 
Cyprus  trees  bearded  with  long  gray  moss.  Underneath 
these  Cyprus  trees  were  massed  and  matted  luxuriant  un¬ 
dergrowth  tangled  with  muscadines,  Cherokee  roses,  and 
jessamine.  Over  the  tree  tops,  strange  birds  screamed. 
From  the  dark  recesses  about  their  roots,  wolves  and  pan¬ 
thers  howled;  venomous  snakes  crawled  here  and  there; 
and  swarms  of  death-dealing  insects  shaded  the  sunny  skies. 
But  in  the  midst  of  all  this  rampant  nature,  the  mocking 
bird  sang  and  the  wild  dove  called,  and  the  Scotch-Irish 


ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS 


39 


knew  that  a  benevolent  God  reigned  and  rewarded  right¬ 
eousness.  They  found  dry  places  in  the  pinelands  and 
there  they  erected  rude  huts  as  they  had  known  in  Ireland. 

Clearing  this  thickly  wooded  land  was  a  labor  of  Her¬ 
cules,  but  these  Scotch-Irish  toiled  until  they  had  pre¬ 
pared  and  planted  grain  in  a  soil  of  which  they  knew  but 
little.  The  soil  here  was  not  like  that  in  Northern  Ire¬ 
land,  and  their  first  harvest  brought  but  little  reward  for 
their  labor. 

In  1734,  Samuel  Eveleigh,  a  merchant  in  Charleston, 
wrote  to  George  Morley,  Provost  Marshal  of  the  Colony 
of  South  Carolina,  who  was  then  in  London,  a  letter  from 
which  the  following  is  an  extract:  “Last  November  was 
twelve  months  came  over  a  party  of  Irish  Protestants 
from  the  North  of  Ireland,  which  the  Governor  got  set¬ 
tled  at  a  Township  called  Williamsburg  at  Winyaw  on 
Black  River,  where  the  land  is  good.  They  immediately 
made  up  some  huts  to  cover  them  from  the  weather  and 
then  went  to  clearing  the  land,  which  they  planted  and 
made  very  good  crops  so  that  they  had  grain  enough  for 
themselves  and  five  hundred  bushels  to  spare.  There  are 
several  families  since  arrived  and  gone  there  to  settle  and 
I  believe  in  the  usual  time,  it  will  be  a  considerable  set¬ 
tlement.  I  can  not  tell  you  the  particular  allowance  they 
have  out  of  the  public  exactly,  but  I  think  it  is  a  cow  and 
a  calf  and  a  sow  to  two  families,  one  hundred  weight  of 
beef,  half  a  hundred  of  pork,  one  hundred  weight  of  rice 
and  five  bushels  of  corn  to  each  person,  besides  tools.  This 
is  and  will  be  a  considerable  charge  to  the  Province.” 
This  letter  refers  to  the  Colony  under  Roger  Gordon, 
which  first  settled  about  the  King’s  Tree. 

In  1734,  afiiong  the  estimates  made  by  the  several  colo¬ 
nial  officials  is  found  the  following:  “To  allowance  for 
one  year  to  Mr.  Roger  Gordon  and  forty  Highlanders  in 
one  of  the  Northern  Townships  (Williamsburg)  and  to 
Mr.  William  York  with  sundry  Palatines  from  Pliiladel- 


40 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


pliia  and  also  to  several  from  England,  £5,000.”  The  al¬ 
lowance  made  that  year  was  to  each  adult  eight  bushels  of 
corn  or  peas,  two  hundred  pounds  of  rice,  four  hundred 
pounds  of  beef  or  three  hundred  pounds  of  beef  and  fifty  of 
pork ;  to  each  child  under  twelve  years  of  age,  half 
these  amounts. 

From  the  beginning,  the  men  produced  an  abundance 
of  corn.  They  did  not  succeed  in  wheat  cultivation.  The 
rivers  and  swamps  swarmed  with  enormous  quantities  of 
excellent  edible  fish  and  the  forests  were  full  of  herds  of 
deer.  Wild  turkeys  were  abundant.  Fifty  years  later 
Cornwallis  said  “ Williamsburg  is  worth  capturing  for  the 
fish  in  Black  River;”  and  a  hundred  years  afterwards, 
John  Ervin  Scott,  who  lived  in  the  Cedar  Swamp  section, 
said  that  he  never  went  early  in  the  morning  to  his  hog 
pens,  about  a  mile  from  his  home,  without  seeing  three  or 
four  deer. 

Every  two  families  among  the  original  settlers  were 
given  a  cow  and  a  calf.  These  found  abundant  grazing 
lands  all  over  the  District  and  soon  there  were  large 
herds  of  half  wild  cattle  roaming  the  country.  Cattle  have 
been,  from  the  first  days  of  Williamsburg  until  the  present 
time,  the  thing  which  has  given  hope  to  the  people  of 
this  section,  when  everything  else  seemed  wanting.  They 
flourish  in  these  meadows  without  any  food  except  what 
they  find  themselves.  From  cow  hides  these  pioneers  made 
not  only  their  harness  for  horses,  but  leather  breeches 
for  men,  aprons  for  women,  coverings  for  their  chairs, 
and  used  them  in  the  place  of  modern  springs  on  their 
high  posted  beds. 

Sheep  and  hogs  were  also  brought  to  Williamsburg  and 
they  have  proved  continuous  assets  to  the  section.  Both 
of  these  useful  animals  live  well  in  the  wildwood  and  mul¬ 
tiply  rapidly.  Much  of  the  clothing  of  ancient  Williams¬ 
burg  was  made  on  the  plantations  from  wool  produced 
at  home.  The  first  articles  exported  from  the  township 


ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS 


41 


were  deerskins,  pork,  and  lard.  There  were  many  horses 
in  the  colony.  The  original  settlers  brought  some  with 
them  and  they,  too,  multiplied  rapidly  in  the  swamps. 
Whenever  a  man  needed  another  horse,  he  called  together 
his  friends,  and  they  drove  these  half  wild  horses  into  a  spe¬ 
cially  made  pen  from  which  the  party  selected  such  as  it 
needed. 

The  settlers,  who  came  to  Williamsburg,  had  learned 
the  cultivation  of  flax  in  Ireland  and  many  of  them  were 
expert  weavers.  In  1742,  William  Lowry,  of  Williams¬ 
burg,  exhibited  before  the  Governor  and  his  Council  in 
Charleston  a  sample  of  Holland’s  cloth,  which  he  had  made 
on  his  own  plantation  by  his  own  hands,  from  the  flax 
seed  to  the  finished  product.  He  was  granted  the  sum  of 
twenty  pounds  as  an  encouragement.  There  were  many 
plantations  in  the  District  at  that  time  making  linen  and 
some  of  it  then  made  is  yet  held  as  heirlooms  in  the  old 
families  of  Williamsburg.  Some  cotton  was  produced 
for  plantation  purposes.  The  seed  were  laboriously  sep¬ 
arated  by  hand  from  the  lint  on  long  winter  nights  and 
the  lint  spun  and  woven  into  cloth. 

For  many  years,  these  people  fought  the  forests  and 
the  swamps,  enduring  and  overcoming  handicaps  incon¬ 
ceivable.  Slowly  they  prospered.  Within  a  few  years, 
they  began  to  sell  their  surplus  products  in  Charleston. 
In  1749,  they  had  a  crop  failure;  it  did  not  rain  that  year. 
In  August,  they  gathered  together  in  the  Williamsburg 
Meeting  House  to  offer  prayers  for  rain.  The  rains  did 
not  come  in  time  to  fill  the  ears  of  the  withered  corn.  They 
bought  corn  from  North  Carolina,  but  that  winter  nearly 
one-fourth  of  the  people  of  the  colony  died.  Some  strange 
sickness,  probably  influenza,  overtook  them,  and  caused 
eighty  newly  made  graves  in  the  Williamsburg  Church¬ 
yard. 

About  that  time,  the  planting  of  indigo  was  begun. 
Some  few  negro  slaves  had  already  been  brought  in  the 


42 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Township,  and  used  in  the  cultivation  of  this  indigo. 
Within  five  years  after  its  first  introduction,  prosperity 
came  to  this  people  and  riches  were  not  far  away.  They 
bought  more  negro  slaves  and  blooded  horses  from  Charles* 
ton.  It  is  said  that  indigo  sold  for  such  enormous 
prices  that  at  this  time  a  planter  could  fill  his  wallet  with 
this  product,  ride  horseback  to  Charleston  and  exchange 
it  for  a  slave. 

Indigo  covered  the  country  and  every  plantation  had  its 
indigo  vats.  These  vats  were  holes  in  the  ground  about 
thirty  feet  square  at  the  top,  shaping  downward  to  resem¬ 
ble  half  of  a  broken  inverted  pyramid.  These  holes  were 
lined  with  a  composition  of  sand  and  pitch  which  was 
waterproof.  In  these  vats  they  poured  water,  into  which 
they  packed  and  crushed  the  plant.  The  water  absorbed 
the  dye  from  the  bruised  plant  after  a  certain  period  of 
time.  Another  deeper  pit  was  dug  by  this  vat  and  from 
the  bottom  of  this  vat,  a  line  of  wooden  pipe  permitted  the 
drainage  of  the  water  filled  indigo  to  pass  into  casks  in 
the  pit  below.  This  indigo  filled  water  had  to  be  drained 
from  the  vat  at  the  proper  time  or  the  whole  product 
would  spoil. 

Now  these  Scotch-Irish  were  the  most  God-fearing  peo¬ 
ple  in  the  world.  On  Saturday  evenings  they  made  their 
small  sons  go  out  into  the  fields  and  shut  down  their 
bird  traps  and  their  rabbit  gums.  They  took  their  pocket 
knives  from  these  youngsters  at  the  same  time.  Promptly 
on  Monday  morning  these  boys  were  given  back  their 
knives  and  allowed  to  place  their  traps  in  proper  con¬ 
dition  to  receive  unwary  game. 

But  these  Scotch-Irish  brethren  simply  had  to  devise 
some  scheme  to  start  their  indigo  tanks  draining  when 
their  product  would  be  damaged  by  waiting  until  the  fol¬ 
lowing  morning.  One  beautiful  Sunday  afternoon,  when 
an  Elder  was  strolling  out  with  his  family  on  its  solemn 
service,  he  passed  one  of  his  indigo  vats  that  was  rich 


ECONOMIC  CONDITIONS 


43 


and  ripe  for  draining.  Monday  morning  his  indigo  would 
he  ruined.  This  good  Elder’s  foot  accidently  struck  the 
peg  that  held  the  rich,  ripe  indigo  fluid  in  leash,  the  peg 
fell  out  and  the  casks  below  began  receiving  the  bluish 
drippings.  They  had  the  future  Revolutionary  hero  up 
in  the  Church  for  his  accident,  but  the  good  Session  of 
Elders  finally  decided  that  accidents  would  happen  and 
that  men  could  not  be  held  too  strictly  accountable  for 
them.  Similar  accidents  often  happened  after  that  time, 
and  much  indigo  was  saved  thereby  for  the  commerce  of 
the  world. 


CHAPTER  VI. 


CHURCHES  AND  CHURCHMEN. 

While  the  original  settlers  of  Williamsburg  came  to  the 
township  on  Black  River  primarily  for  economic  reasons, 
yet  the  congregational  religious  principle,  which  had 
grown  in  the  majority  of  them  for  centuries  and  which  was 
largely  responsible  for  their  temporary  impoverished  con¬ 
dition,  was,  in  fact,  the  cause  of  their  migration  into  this 
wild  country. 

Until  the  adoption  of  the  United  States  Constitution 
in  1789,  the  Church  of  England  determined  the  ecclesi¬ 
astical  polity  of  South  Carolina.  The  colonists  were  forced 
by  law  to  support  the  Church  of  England  and  this  was 
the  only  church  recognized  as  such  by  law.  No  man  could 
hold  office  under  the  government  unless  he  were  a  com¬ 
municant  of  the  Church  of  England  and  would  take  an 
oath  that  for  one  year  prior  to  his  accession  to  office  he 
had  not  received  the  sacrament  of  communion  except  from 
the  hands  of  a  priest  of  the  established  religion,  and,  when 
a  man  took  the  oath  of  office,  he  was  required,  then  and 
there,  to  receive  the  Holy  Sacrament  administered  ac¬ 
cording  to  the  ritual  of  the  Church  of  England.  Further¬ 
more,  no  man  was  allowed  to  teach  school  in  the  colony 
unless  a  communicant  of  the  Church  of  England  and  duly 
licensed  for  such  purpose  by  the  Lord  Bishop  of  London. 

When  Williamsburg  Township  was  surveyed  and  laid 
out  on  August  28,  1736,  the  most  desirable  acre  of  ground 
in  the  town  of  Williamsburg  was  reserved  for  the  Church 
of  England,  and  an  adjoining  acre  was  granted  for  the 
Churchyard.  These  two  acres  of  land  were  those  making 
up  the  northwestern  half  of  the  block  in  Kingstree  where¬ 
on  the  Bank  of  Kingstree  now  stands.  At  the  same  time, 
one  hundred  acres  of  glebe  land  on  the  northern  boundary 
of  the  town  of  Williamsburg,  adjoining  the  lands  of  John 


CHURCHES  AND  CHURCHMEN 


45 


Henderson,  were  surveyed  and  granted  to  the  use  of  the 
minister  of  the  town  of  Williamsburg. 

But  the  Church  of  England  and  its  “ Society  for  the 
Propagation  of  the  Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts”  were  never 
too  seriously  concerned  about  the  religious  condition  of 
the  “Poor  Protestants”  of  Williamsburg.  A  few  times 
between  1735  and  1750,  the  Rev.  John  Fordvce,  minister 
of  Prince  Frederick’s  Church  of  Winyaw,  and  the  Rev. 
Joseph  Bugnion,  minister  of  Orangeburg,  visited  the  town 
of  Williamsburg  on  Easter,  Whitsuntide,  and  Christmas, 
and  conducted  services,  baptized  a  few  children,  and  re¬ 
ceived  nominal  contributions  from  these  poor  Protestants 
in  Williamsburg,  but  no  Church  of  England  was  erected 
or  even  undertaken  in  this  township  on  Black  River. 

Practically  all  of  the  original  settlers  in  Williamsburg 
Township  were  of  the  Congregational  or  Presbyterian 
faith  and  their  exceeding  enthusiasm  was  shown  in  the 
promotion  of  Presbyterian  principles.  Although  many  of 
them  inclined  to  the  Church  of  Scotland  as  “reformed” 
by  John  Calvin  and  John  Knox,  yet  in  heart  they  were 
adherents  of  the  untouched  ancient  doctrines. 

On  July  2,  1736,  the  following  “indwellers  in  Williams¬ 
burg”  met  and  formed  the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian 
Congregation,  which  congregation  has  maintained  its  or¬ 
ganization  continuously  until  the  present  day:  John 
Witherspoon,  John  Fleming,  William  James,  David  Wil¬ 
son,  Jajnes  Bradley,  Robert  Wilson,  John  Porter,  David 
Pressley,  Robert  Ervin,  William  Pressley,  John  Hender¬ 
son,  William  Frierson,  Thomas  Frierson,  William  Syms, 
David  Allen,  John  James,  James  McClelland,  and  David 
Witherspoon. 

This  congregation  petitioned  for  a  grant  of  land  for 
erecting  thereon  their  Meeting  House,  but  the  Colonial 
Governor  did  not  act  promptly  on  their  petition.  Two 
years  later,  in  1738,  they  secured  from  Captain  Roger 
Gordon  two  acres  of  land  on  the  eastern  boundary  of  the 


46 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


platted  “Town  of  Williamsburgh”,  and  there  built  the  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Meeting  House.  On  this  spot,  the  congregation 
worshipped  continuously  until  1890,  when  the  church  was 
moved  to  Academy  Street  in  the  town  of  Kingstree.  The 
lot  was  then  devoted  exclusivelv  to  the  use  of  the  white 
people  of  the  vicinity  as  a  burying  ground. 

The  title  to  this  property  was  made  to  the  following  as 
trustees  of  the  Congregation :  James  Bradley,  William 
Syms,  David  Allen,  William  Janies,  John  James,  John 
Porter,  Jaimes  McClelland,  and  David  Witherspoon.  This 
Congregation  chose  as  its  first  elders,  John  Witherspoon, 
John  Fleming,  James  McClelland,  James  Bradley,  Wil¬ 
liam  James,  and  David  Witherspoon.  This  Session  of 
Elders  and  its  successors  have  played  a  remarkable  part 
in  the  administration  of  the  law  of  Williamsburg,  civil 
and  religious,  until  this  day. 

The  first  Williamsburg  Meeting  House  was  built  of  logs 
and  was  used  until  1746,  when  the  log  structure  was  re¬ 
placed  by  an  excellent  house  of  worship.  William  Swin- 
ton,  a  prominent  member  of  Prince  George’s  Church, 
left  a  legacy  of  one  hundred  pounds  in  his  will  for  aiding 
the  erection  of  this  second  Meeting  House. 

This  was  the  largest  building  in  the  township  until  the 
War  of  the  Revolution.  It  faced  the  East  and  was  located 
in  the  Western  part  of  the  present  Williamsburg  cemetery. 
As  one  entered  he  came  first  to  the  Deacons’  seats,  ele¬ 
vated  about  six  inches  above  the  floor  of  the  aisle.  Back 
of  the  Deacons’  seats,  and  elevated  twelve  inches  higher, 
was  the  pew  for  the  Ruling  Elders,  larger  than  that  of  the 
Deacons’,  and  about  square.  Back  of  the  Elders’  pew  and 
three  feet  higher  and  up  against  the  wall  was  the  pulpit. 
The  pews  were  all  high-backed.  The  head  of  each  family 
owned  a  pew  and  the  Church  and  the  Minister  were  sup¬ 
ported  by  a  tax  on  these  pews.  Some  of  the  pew  owners 
were  not  members  of  the  Church,  yet  each  pew  owner 
had  an  equal  voice  and  vote  in  the  congregational  meet- 


CHURCHES  AND  CHURCHMEN 


47 


ings.  This  rule  resulted  in  serious  conditions  in  later 
years. 

In  1770,  on  account  of  the  rapid  growth  of  the  colony, 
both  by  birth  and  by  new  immigrants  from  Ireland,  this 
house  of  worship  was  doubled  in  size,  which  was  done  by 
extending  the  side  opposite  the  pulpit. 

It  was  customary  among  the  Presbyterians  of  ancient 
Williamsburg  to  leave  something,  if  not  more  than  one 
hundred  pounds  or  fifty  acres  of  land,  in  their  wills  to 
their  church.  Among  the  first  bequests  to  the  Congrega¬ 
tion  were  those  of  James  McClelland,  John  Blakeley, 
James  Blakeley,  John  Watson,  John  Scott,  and  Nathaniel 
Drew.  Frequently,  outsiders  remembered  this  Congrega¬ 
tion  at  the  King’s  Tree  and  made  bequests.  Henry  Sheriff, 
of  James  Island,  and  William  Swinton,  of  Georgetown, 
were  among  this  class  of  non-residents.  When  one  now 
looks  over  the  list  of  valuable  bequests  to  this  congrega¬ 
tion  during  the  first  century  of  its  existence,  he  wonders 
why  the  present  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Church  cor¬ 
poration  is  not  as  wealthy  as  some  other  ancient  church  or¬ 
ganizations  in  America. 

The  first  minister  of  the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Con¬ 
gregation  was  the  Reverend  Robert  Heron,  of  Ireland, 
who  served  three  years,  returning  to  his  native  land  in  1740. 
The  next  minister  was  the  Reverend  John  Rae,  installed 
in  1743.  He  was  a  “high  church”  Presbyterian  and  saw 
that  everything  done  in  this  pioneer  settlement  congre¬ 
gation  was  according  to  the  ritual  of  the  most  elect  and 
select  Church  of  Scotland.  He  required  his  congregation 
to  fast  and  pray  on  Saturday,  listen  to  his  four  hour 
sermon  on  Sunday,  and  spend  Monday  in  thanksgiving 
that  they  had  heard  such  a  wonderful  discourse. 

Mr.  Rae  was  not  much  of  a  Puritan,  since  he  did  not 
preach  about  drinking  whiskey,  horse  racing,  and  permit¬ 
ting  slaves  to  work  for  themselves  on  Sunday,  but  he  was 
a  great  Presbyterian  advocate.  His  sermons  were  remark- 


48 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


able  displays  of  theological  learning.  He  hated  the 
Roman  Catholic  Church  a  great  deal  more  than  he  did 
the  Devil,  and  feared  God  to  the  limit  of  his  capacity. 

May  19,  1752,  the  following  officers  of  the  Williamsburg 
Congregation  signed  the  Confession  of  Faith:  John  Rae, 
minister;  John  James,  James  McClelland,  James  Wither¬ 
spoon,  John  Leviston,  Robert  Witherspoon,  Samuel  Fulton, 
Robert  Wilson,  Robert  Paisley,  Gavin  Witherspoon,  Wil¬ 
liam  Dobein,  Elders. 

Mr.  Rae  served  the  congregation  eighteen  years  and 
died  in  1761  at  Salem.  He  was  buried  in  the  Williamsburg 
churchyard,  although  the  exact  location  of  his  grave  is 
unknown.  He  was  a  man  of  strong  personality  and  was 
very  influential  in  his  congregation.  Dr.  J.  R.  Wither¬ 
spoon  says  he  went  about  “with  unwearied  diligence  and 
fidelity  reproving  the  negligent,  encouraging  the  doubt¬ 
ful  and  desponding,  visiting  the  sick,  comforting  mourn¬ 
ers,  and  relieving  the  distressed.” 

This  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Congregation  was  the 
only  religious  organization  maintained  in  Williamsburg 
Township  until  1786.  Out  of  the  township,  prior  to  the 
Revolution,  there  went  several  colonies  who  formed  Pres¬ 
byterian  Congregations  in  other  sections,  and  the  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Church  may  rightfully  regard  them  as  offspring. 
Among  these  may  be  mentioned :  Salem  Black  River, 
Aimwell  on  the  Pee  Dee,  and  Indiantown. 

The  first  House  of  Worship  or  Church  built  on  the  ter¬ 
ritory  now  known  as  Williamsburg  County  was  the  Black 
Mingo  Meeting  House  located  on  Church  Creek  in  the 
corner  where  the  Williamsburg-Georgetown  County  line 
road  leads  to  the  South  from  the  Georgetown-Kingstree 
highway.  This  was  an  excellent  brick  structure,  forty  by 
sixty  feet,  and  was  erected  in  1726  for  use  by  the  religious 
Dissenters  in  that  Black  Mingo  community.  The  Reverend 
Elisha  Screven,  an  Antipaedo  Baptist  Minister,  was  the 
moving  spirit  in  the  building  of  this  Church,  contributed 


CHURCHES  AND  CHURCHMEN 


49 


the  greater  part  of  its  cost  and  preached  the  first  sermon 
from  its  pulpit. 

Although  it  was  largely  through  Screven  influence, 
money,  and  energy  that  the  Black  Mingo  Church  was 
built,  since  there  were  few  of  the  Baptist  faith  in  the 
community,  this  ancient  Church  was  soon  dominated  by 
the  Presbyterian  element  in  the  Congregation;  and,  after 
the  death  of  the  Reverend  Elisha  Screven,  it  became  known 
as  the  Black  Mingo  Presbyterian  Meeting  House.  It  was 
used,  from  its  beginning,  by  dissenting  congregations, 
first  come,  first  served.  The  Reverend  John  Baxter  was 
the  first  Presbyterian  Minister  who  preached  there.  In 
1729,  he  baptized  John  Nelson,  son  of  George  and  Helen 
Nelson,  the  first  baptism  among  the  Calvanists  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg.  This  Church  was  the  first  structure  erected 
by  a  dissenting  congregation  between  the  Santee  and  the 
Cape  Fear  Rivers. 

The  records  of  this  old  Church  have  all  been  lost.  Here 
and  there  one  finds  reference  to  it  and  its  congregations 
in  old  diaries  written  in  that  period.  The  last  reference 
to  it  is  found  in  the  Indiantown  Session  Records  of  June 
20,  1824,  and  reads  as  follows :  “Mrs.  Margaret  McConnell 
was  received  into  this  Church  on  reputable  testimony  of 
her  having  been  an  acceptable  member  of  the  Black  Mingo 
Church,  this  Church  being  now  extinct.” 

The  walls  of  this  old  Church  stood  until  about  1890, 
when  the  bricks  were  hauled  away  and  used  for  planta¬ 
tion  purposes.  The  church  site  is  yet  plainly  discernible, 
and  about  four  acres  of  ancient  graves,  with  a  few  old 
tombstones,  still  tell  simple  tales  of  the  men  and  women 
who  there  more  than  a  century  ago  lived  and  labored. 

Indiantown  Presbyterian  Congregation  consisted  of 
John  James,  Robert  Wilson,  David  Wilson,  William 
Cooper,  Sr.,  William  Cooper,  Jr.,  Robert  McCottry,  George 
McCutchen,  George  Barr,  Thomas  McCrea,  Robert  Wither¬ 
spoon,  James  McCutchen,  and  about  fifteen  other  heads  of 


50 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


families  when  it  was  organized  in  1757.  The  first  Indian- 
town  Church  was  built  that  year  on  the  four  acre  lot  of 
ground  left  in  the  will  of  William  Thompson  for  that  pur¬ 
pose.  Mr.  Thompson  also  bequeathed  one  hundred  pounds 
sterling  towards  the  building.  John  James,  Robert  Wil¬ 
son,  and  David  Wilson  were  its  first  elders  and  the  Rever¬ 
end  John  Knox  its  first  minister. 

There  were  many  causes  contributing  to  the  founding 
of  Indiantown  Church.  Williamsburg  Township  had  over¬ 
flown  into  this  district,  as  had  the  Black  Mingo  section, 
and  those  who  had  settled  in  the  Indiantown  community 
had  prospered.  The  founders  of  the  Indiantown  congrega¬ 
tion  [were,  for  the  most  part,  the  sons  of  settlers  in 
Williamsburg  Township. 

At  that  time,  there  were  two  flourishing  Presbyterian 
Churches  in  Williamsburg,  the  Williamsburg  and  the 
Black  Mingo  Churches.  The  founders  of  these  two 
churches  had  come  from  Europe  and  were  belligerent  dis¬ 
senters.  Many  of  them  had  actually  witnessed,  and  some 
of  them  felt,  the  fires  of  religious  persecution  adminis¬ 
tered  by  the  political  state  church.  These  Presbyterians 
represented  one  of  the  extreme  factions  in  the  religious 
life  of  the  English  speaking  peoples  for  many  genera¬ 
tions.  While  the  Roman  Catholic  Church  had  been  the 
organization  of  the  other  faction,  and  while  the  Church 
that  was  created  with  the  view  of  reconciling  these  two 
extreme  factions  had  succeeded  in  becoming  the  Church 
of  England,  neither  the  extremists  of  the  Presbyterian  fac¬ 
tion  nor  those  of  the  Roman  Catholic  faction  accepted 
the  Church  of  England  as  constituted,  but  both  factions 
hated  it  to  the  limit  of  their  ability. 

These  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians,  who  came  to  Wil¬ 
liamsburg,  were,  for  the  most  part,  uncompromising  in 
their  religious  conceptions.  The  ancient  Presbyterian  doc¬ 
trine  was  very  largely  monotheistic,  strikingly  similar  to 
that  of  Judaeism.  The  Roman  Catholic  Church  made 


CHURCHES  AND  CHURCHMEN 


51 


Jesus  Christ  outstanding  in  the  Holy  Trinity.  The  Church 
of  England  adopted  very  largely  the  Roman  Catholic  idea 
of  Jesus  Christ.  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  hated  any¬ 
thing  that  had  in  it  a  suggestion  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church,  and  so  the  Presbyterian  Churches  at  Black  Mingo 
and  at  Williamsburg,  following  the  doctrines  of  the  Church 
of  Scotland,  were  practically  Unitarian.  Their  ministers 
were  called  to  preach  by  virtue  of  their  being  entitled  to 
certain  hereditary  rights  under  the  British  Government, 
the  right  of  presentation  to  a  benefice  inherent  in  certain 
families,  were  educated  in  Scotland  and  Ireland,  and 
preached  in  this  country  the  doctrines  of  the  Church  of 
Scotland. 

There  are  now,  in  old  diaries,  minute  books,  and  other 
ancient  documents,  references  to  more  than  one  hundred 
sermons  preached  by  these  ministers  in  these  two  old 
Williamsburg  Churches  and  not  one  of  these  sermons  was 
based  on  a  text  taken  from  the  New  Testament.  The 
Church  of  Scotland  ministers  of  that  day  seemed  to  over¬ 
look  the  New  Testament.  One  finds  among  the  original 
Presbyterians  who  came  to  Williamsburg  Abraham,  Isaac, 
and  Jacob,  Moses  and  Aaron,  Nathan  and  David  and  other 
Old  Testament  names,  but  he  looks  in  vain  to  find  a  man 
called  Matthew,  Mark,  Luke,  Paul,  Silas,  or  Cornelius. 

In  all  the  wills  of  the  pre-revolutionary  period,  the  first 
paragraph  dedicates  the  soul  of  the  testator  to  God.  There 
are  shown  in  them  two  ideas  of  Christ — the  Presbyterian, 
which  does  not  call  His  Name;  and  that  of  the  Episcopa¬ 
lians  and  the  Baptists,  which  does.  A  typical  Church  of 
Scotland  Presbyterian  was  James  McCown,  who  says, 
Principally  and  first  of  all,  I  give  and  recommend  my 
soul  into  the  hands  of  God  that  gave  it,  and  my  body  I 
recommend  to  the  earth  to  be  buried  in  decent  Christian 
burial,  nothing  doubtful  but  at  the  general  resurrection,  I 
shall  receive  the  same  again  by  the  mighty  power  of  God.” 


52 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Contra,  the  first  clause  in  the  will  of  Nathaniel  Snow, 
Church  of  England :  “First  and  principally  recommending 
my  immortal  soul  into  the  hand  of  Almighty  God,  my  Heav¬ 
enly  Father,  trusting  in  the  merits  of  my  Blessed  Saviour 
for  pardon  and  remission  of  all  my  sins  and  an  happy  ad¬ 
mission  into  the  regions  of  Bliss  and  Immortality.  ”  Also, 
the  will  of  Isaac  Chandler,  Baptist  :  Principally,  I  com¬ 
mend  my  soul  into  the  hands  of  Almighty  God  and  my  body 
to  the  earth  to  be  decently  buried  in  the  hopes  of  a  joyful 
resurrection  at  the  last  day  unto  Life  Eternal  by  the 
Mighty  Power  and  through  the  merit  of  Jesus  Christ,  our 
Mighty  God  and  Saviour.” 

The  original  Presbyterians  who  came  to  Williamsburg 
scorned  the  celebration  of  Easter  or  Christmas,  declaring 
that  they  were  of  heathen  origin  and  unworthy  of  the 
Church.  Until  this  day,  some  men  and  women  in  Williams¬ 
burg  seriously  object  to  special  Easter  and  Christmas  dec¬ 
orations  and  music,  even  in  other  churches  than  their  own. 

While  the  Church  of  England  exercised  over  lordship 
of  the  colony  of  South  Carolina  until  the  War  of  the  Rev¬ 
olution,  and  built  its  churches  and  supported  its  minis¬ 
ters  out  of  public  funds,  it  allowed  a  large  measure  of 
freedom  to  dissenting  congregations.  The  young  men  who 
grew  up  in  Williamsburg  gradually  assimilated  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Presbyterian  idea  and  accepted  Jesus  Christ  and  the 
Holy  Trinity.  The  Black  Mingo  Church  from  1726,  when 
it  was  founded,  until  1811,  when  it  became  extinct,  was, 
for  all  practical  purposes,  a  Unitarian  Church.  The  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Presbyterian  Church  did  not  worship  Jesus 
Christ  nor  say  much  of  His  Divinity  until  its  union  with 
the  Bethel  congregation  in  1828,  ninety-two  years  after  it 
was  organized.  The  Indiantown  Church  was  dedicated  to 
the  Holy  Trinity  at  its  foundation  and  many  of  these 
younger  Presbyterians  from  Black  Mingo  and  Williams¬ 
burg  united  with  the  Indiantown  Church  for  the  reason 


CHURCHES  AND  CHURCHMEN 


53 


that  it  was  Trinitarian  in  conception  and  American  in  its 
organization. 

An  act  of  the  Colonial  Assembly  of  1706,  generally 
known  as  the  Church  Act,  divided  South  Carolina  into  ten 
parishes.  Craven  County  was  one  of  these  Parishes.  In 
1721,  the  Parish  of  Prince  George  Winyaw  was  established 
— bounded  on  the  Southwest  by  the  Santee  River,  on  the 
northeast  by  the  Cape  Fear  River,  on  the  east  by  the 
ocean,  and  on  the  west  by  the  Indian  country. 

In  1734,  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish  was  divided  from 
that  of  Prince  George  Winyaw.  In  1713,  on  a  beautiful 
bluff  on  Black  River,  probably  the  most  striking  river 
scene  in  South  Carolina,  Prince  Frederick’s  Church  was 
built.  When  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish  was  separated 
from  Prince  George’s  Parish,  it  was  intended  that  this 
Prince  Frederick’s  Church  should  be  included  in  Prince 
Frederick’s  Parish;  however,  the  eastern  line  of  Prince 
Frederick’s  Parish  as  established  by  law  was  afterwards 
found  to  be  west  of  the  church.  This  church  remained, 
however,  for  nearly  half  a  century  the  place  of  worship 
for  the  few  adherents  of  the  Church  of  England  in  Prince 
Frederick’s  Parish,  which  later  became  Williamsburg. 

The  pew  holders  in  Prince  Frederick’s  Church  in  1734 
were  as  follows:  John  Brown,  John  Lane,  Reverend 
Thomas  Morritt,  John  Thompson,  Daniel  Shaw,  Francis 
Avant,  John  Wallace,  Esq.,  Captain  Anthony  White,  An¬ 
thony  Atkinson,  John  White,  Paul  Laroche,  William  S win- 
ton,  John  Borrell,  Josias  Dupre,  and  Caleb  Avant.  All 
of  these  men  lived  along  Black  River,  some  of  them  as  far 
westward  into  the  present  Williamsburg  County  as  Indian- 
town  and  Cedar  Swamp.  This  Prince  Frederick’s  Church 
was  wealthy.  The  Reverend  Mr.  Morritt,  who  conducted 
services  one  Sunday  in  each  month  of  1735  in  Georgetown 
and  three  Sundays  at  Prince  Frederick’s,  admitted  that 
his  income  was  more  than  $7,500.00  a  year. 


54 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


In  1736,  the  Reverend  John  Fordyce  became  the  minis¬ 
ter  of  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish  “in  the  room  of”  Reverend 
Mr.  Morritt.  Mr.  Fordyce  resigned  in  1741.  In  1743,  Rev¬ 
erend  Mr.  Fordyce  held  communion  services  at  the  King’s 
Tree  on  April  3rd  and  July  1st.  His  collection  taken  on 
these  two  occasions  amounted  to  about  $55.00. 

Prince  Frederick’s  Church  had  an  eventful  history.  Its 
records  were  kept  and  throw  much  light  on  the  beginnings 
of  Williamsburg.  In  1756,  the  Church  wardens  and  ves¬ 
trymen  wrote  a  letter  to  the  Lord  Bishop  of  London  com¬ 
plaining  of  spiritual  conditions  in  Prince  Frederick’s 
Parish.  The  letter  was  signed  by  John  White,  George 
Atkinson,  William  Green,  Anthony  White,  James  McPher¬ 
son,  William  Walker,  James  Crockett,  and  Charles  Wood- 
mason,  and  begged  for  a  Minister  to  succeed  the  Reverend 
Michael  Smith,  who,  they  said,  had  done  more  injury  to 
the  cause  of  virtue,  religion,  and  the  Church  in  three  years 
time  than  “his  successors  could  repair  in  many.”  They 
wrote  that  this  Parish  was  the  largest  and  most  populous 
in  the  province,  yet,  “though  numerous  in  inhabitants,  the 
members  of  the  Church  are  widely  scattered  and  but  few 
in  number.” 

They  state  that  the  people  of  this  section  were  for  the 
most  part  of  the  communion  of  the  Church  of  Scotland, 
being  settlers  from  Scotland  from  the  North  of  Ireland. 
The  Church  of  Scotland  then  had  two  Meeting  Houses 
in  the  Parish,  one  at  Black  Mingo  and  one  at  Williams¬ 
burg  and  large  congregations  at  each  of  these  places.  They 
say  that  “Our  back  country”,  meaning  Williamsburg,  “is 
filled  with  numbers  who  never  saw  a  minister  of  the  Church 
of  England.” 

The  letter  also  states  that  the  Reverend  Mr.  Smith  did 
make  “a  Tour  into  these  remote  Parts  of  the  Parish,  But 
He  had  better  stay’d  at  home,  for  the  Consequence  has 
been,  that  thro’  his  indiscreet  Carriage,  (We  shd  rather 
say  immoral  Conduct),  among  them,  instead  of  bringing 


CHURCHES  AND  CHURCHMEN 


55 


them  over,  and  joining  them  to  the  Communion  of  our 
Church,  he  has  unhappily  driven  them  to  send  for  Ana¬ 
baptist  Teachers  from  Philadelphia,  who  dip  many,  and 
form  them  into  Congregations;  so  that  the  regaining  of 
them,  and  making  them  Members  of  the  Established  Chh 
will  (we  judge)  be  attended  with  great  Pains,  if  not  an  im¬ 
possibility.” 

In  the  following  year,  Charles  Woodmason,  Register  of 
Prince  Frederick’s  Parish,  wrote  the  Lord  Bishop  of  Lon¬ 
don  the  following:  “Our  Parish  Church,  Parsonage  & 
Glebe  is  daily  falling  to  Ruin  by  being  unoccupied.  That 
there  are  now  4  Meeting  Houses  in  this  Parish,  and  two 
more  talked  of  being  built,  (wch  Increase  would  not 
have  been  except  thro’  Weakness,  Supineness,  &  Immor¬ 
ality  of  our  Incumbents)  Whereas,  had  we  Godly  Minis¬ 
ters,  Chapels  of  Ease  would  probably  be  raised  in  their 
places,  and  less  Room  for  the  Sectaries  to  spread  them¬ 
selves.  That  the  People  of  the  Lower  Part  of  our  Parish, 
are  a  sober,  sensible  &  literate  People,  those  of  the  upper 
part,  far  otherwise;  whose  Numbers  daily  increase  by 
Refugees  from  ye  other  Provinces.  That  if  a  Minister  be 
not  settled  here  soon,  the  defection  from  the  Church  will 
be  so  great,  as  hardly  to  leave  enough  Church  Members  to 
form  a  Congregation. 

“That  Itinerant  Teachers  from  the  Noard,  are  Yearly 
making  of  Converts  that  illiterate  Persons  set  up  for 
Pastors ;  That  the  Presbyterian  Missionaries  from  the 
Northern  Colleges,  use  unwearied  pains  &  Diligence  to 
extend  their  Influence  &  Interest,  to  the  hazard  of  this 
whole  Parish  being  soon  entirely  in  their  Hands;  That 
this  Prospect  grieves  every  true  Son  &  Well-wisher  to  the 
Church  of  England,  while  our  Establish’d  Clergy  calmly 
look  on,  But  that  our  Assembly,  Alarm’d  at  our  Situation, 
has  lately  divided  into  this  extensive  Parish,  taking  a  New 
one  out  of  it,  to  be  called  by  the  Name  of  St.  Mark  alloting 
also  100  L  stg.  pr.  ann.  for  an  Itinerant  Minister  to  oflici- 


56 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


ate  the  Waterees,  &  ye  Catawba  Settlemt  So  that  we 
want  3  Ministers  Sir  at  present,  in  this  one  Parish  only.” 

On  August  10,  1756,  thirty-two  Acadians  were  sent  to 
Prince  Frederick’s  Church  and  distributed  among  the  good 
people  of  that  Parish  for  sustenance  and  support.  Among 
these  Acadians  were  Joseph  Durong  (Durant)  and  his 
wife,  Ann  Lambert ;  and  their  children,  Mary,  J osette,  Ann, 
Margaret,  Mary  Ann,  and  Rosalie;  John  Daigle  and  his 
wife,  Rosalie  Richard,  and  their  child,  John  Baptist; 
Peter  Lambert  and  his  sons,  Peter  and  John;  Francois 
LaBlanc  and  his  wife,  Magdalene  Comie,  and  their  chil¬ 
dren,  Josetta,  Ozick,  Magdalene,  Tesslie,  and  Margaret; 
Paul  Oliver  and  his  wife,  Magdalene  Bourk;  Margaret 
Daigle  Forrait  and  her  three  children,  Paul,  Larion,  and 
John  Baptist;  John  Baptist  Porrier;  Michell  Porrier, 
Peirre  Caisee ;  Michell  Lapierre ;  and  Renaie  Drowhanny. 

On  the  3rd  of  November,  1770,  Mary  Bonnell  died  under 
suspicious  circumstances.  The  matter  of  her  sudden  pass¬ 
ing  created  great  interest  in  all  this  community.  After 
she  had  been  buried  thirty-six  days,  her  body  was  raised 
from  its  grave  and  examined  by  Samuel  Nesmith,  Esq., 
Coroner,  “For  our  said  Lord  the  King,”  and  his  Coroner’s 
jury  composed  of  James  Lane,  Foreman,  Bartley  Clark, 
Elias  McPherson,  Richard  Green,  Francis  Green,  William 
Green,  William  Green,  Sr.,  Francis  Futhy,  John  Glenn,  Sr., 
Daniel  Williams,  James  McPherson,  and  John  McCrea. 
The  first  sessions  of  this  Jury  were  held  in  the  Prince 
Frederick’s  Church  but  later  meetings  were  had  at  Black 
Mingo. 

The  last  record  in  “the  Register  Book”  of  this  old  Prince 
Frederick’s  Church  on  Black  River  is  a  petition  to  the 
Church  wardens  for  the  assistance  of  an  old  woman  who 
had  been  of  good  behavior  and  of  good  reputation  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  for  more  than  thirty  years.  It  was  dated  the 
21st  day  of  January,  1778,  and  signed  by  the  following: 
James  McCollough,  Andrew  Patterson,  John  Jones,  Wil- 


CHURCHES  AND  CHURCHMEN 


57 


liam  Scott,  William  Cooper,  James  Daniel,  George  Mc- 
Cutchen,  John  Scott,  Thomas  McConnell,  Alex.  H.  Crase- 
ner,  William  Miller,  William  Dobien,  William  Hamilton. 
This  petition  was  filed,  but  never  was  heard,  for  the  last 
meeting  of  the  officers  of  this  old  Church  had  been  held 
and  its  doors  had  been  closed  forever,  but  for  nearly  a 
hundred  years  thereafter  people  of  the  community  used 
this  old  Churchyard  as  a  burying  ground.  It  is  situated 
on  a  high  bluff  on  the  convex  side  of  the  river  where  its 
deep  dark  waters  form  a  crescent,  the  horns  of  which  seem 
to  pass  into  infinite  distance,  fading  away  in  fringes  of 
live  oak  and  cypress. 

Prior  to  this  time,  many,  even  of  its  officers,  had  with¬ 
drawn  from  the  Church  and  united  with  the  Black  Mingo 
and  the  Indiantown  Presbyterian  Churches.  Among  these 
may  be  mentioned  William  Wilson,  Thomas  G.  Scott,  John 
Ervin,  Thomas  Goddard,  Francis  Britton,  Jr.,  Daniel  Mc- 
Ginney,  John  McDowell,  Moses  Britton,  John  James, 
Hugh  Ervin,  James  Lane,  William  McCottry,  Adam  Mc¬ 
Donald,  Jatnes  McPherson,  George  Burrows,  Edward 
Plowden,  William  Gamble,  William  McGee,  Moses  Brown, 
John  Futhy,  Alexander  McCrea,  Benjamin  Duke,  Thomas 
Potts,  William  Hamilton,  and  Thomas  McCrea.  The  com¬ 
municants  of  this  Church  who  retained  their  connection 
with  the  Church  of  England  transferred  their  membership 
to  the  Church  at  Georgetown. 

The  Santee  French  Huguenots  built  a  Chapel  of  Ease 
a  few  miles  North  of  Lenud’s  Ferry  on  the  Britton’s  Ferry 
road  about  1730,  and  another  Chapel  of  Ease  on  Murray’s 
old  field  near  Murray’s  Ferry,  where  they  worshipped  in 
their  native  tongue  but  according  to  the  ritual  of  the 
Church  of  England.  The  use  of  the  French  language 
in  these  Chapels  of  Ease  along  the  Santee  for  more  than 
half  a  century  had  a  great  influence  in  determining  the 
language  used  in  Williamsburg.  Until  the  present  day, 
one  finds  many  French  idioms  in  the  speech  of  the  Wil- 


58 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


liamsburg  people  and  their  pronunciation  shows  a  strong 
Romance  language  influence. 

At  the  beginning  of  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  there 
were  large  congregations  supporting  the  Williamsburg 
Church  at  Kingstree,  and  the  Black  Mingo  Church  on  the 
Kingstree-Georgetown  road,  which  two  churches  were  con¬ 
nected  with  the  Presbytery  of  Scotland;  about  one  hun¬ 
dred  families  supporting  the  Indiantown  Presbyterian 
Church,  which  belonged  to  the  Presbytery  of  Orange,  an 
American  organization;  a  few  members  of  the  Church  of 
England  living  along  what  is  now  the  Williamsburg- 
Georgetown  County  line,  some  of  whom  worshipped  in 
Georgetown  and  others  at  the  Chapel  of  Ease  near  Lenud’s 
Ferry;  and  a  few  other  communicants  of  the  Church  of 
England,  who  worshipped  at  the  Chapel  of  Ease  at  Mur¬ 
ray’s  old  field  near  Murray’s  Ferry.  There  were  prob¬ 
ably  a  dozen  Baptists  in  the  Black  Mingo  community  and 
nearly  every  one  of  these  was  a  lineal  descendant  of  the 
Reverend  William  Screven.  At  the  outbreak  of  the  Revo¬ 
lution,  at  least  ninety-five  per  centum  of  the  people  of 
Williamsburg  were  Presbyterians. 


CHAPTER  VII. 


GROWING  PAINS  AND  PETITIONS. 

Ancient  inland  communities  all  grew  np  on  the  banks 
of  rivers.  With  few  exceptions,  the  world  depended  upon 
water  transportation  until  recent  modern  times.  King 
George  decreed  that  Williamsburg  Township  should  be 
laid  out  on  the  banks  of  Black  River,  and  that  every 
grantee  of  land  in  the  Township  should  have  free  access 
to  the  River.  He  also  decreed  that  no  grant  of  land  should 
border  the  River  for  a  distance  more  than  one-fourth  the 
distance  it  extended  backward  into  the  forest.  This  rule 
was  established  to  give  as  many  settlers  as  possible  actual 
as  well  as  constructive  access  to  the  river.  The  river  was 
planned  as  a  highway  over  which  transportation  to  and 
from  this  back  country  was  to  be  effected. 

In  1730,  for  a  great  part  of  the  year,  Black  River 
seemed  almost  a  large  inland  sea  as  far  westward  as  the 
King’s  Tree.  Generally  it  was  then  very  deep  and  the 
King’s  mariners  reported  that  it  would  be  navigable  as 
far  westward  as  the  King’s  Tree  for  all  the  King’s  vessels. 
But,  during  the  long  summer  seasons,  Black  River  some¬ 
times  decreased  until  it  became  at  the  King’s  Tree  a  very 
small  stream.  The  River  from  Georgetown  westward  to 
Kingstree  is  one  continuous  series  of  elbows,  and,  at  some 
points,  frequently  shows  dangerous  sandy  shallows.  The 
very  large  trees  that  grow  along  its  banks  have  frequently 
fallen  into  the  current  and  have  always  been  serious  men¬ 
aces  to  the  navigation  of  the  river. 

On  Friday,  December  10,  1736,  Robert  Finley,  Crafton 
Kerwin,  and  Richard  Middleton,  residents  of  Williams¬ 
burg,  petitioned  the  Colonial  Council  to  clear  Black  River 
and  make  it  navigable.  This  petition  brought  the  first 
act  of  the  Colonial  Government  applying  specially  to  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Township,  which  was  passed  in  1738,  “An  act 


60 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


for  clearing,  cleaning  and  making  navigable  Black  River 
from  the  ‘Narrows’  to  the  western  boundary  of  Williams¬ 
burg  Township,  inclusive.”  This  act  created  a  district  for 
taxation  for  raising  necessary  funds  to  clear  the  river. 
This  district  was  all  North  of  a  line  half  way  between 
Santee  River  and  Black  River  and  all  South  of  the  line 
half  way  between  Black  River  and  Pee  Dee  River,  from  ten 
miles  above  Phineas  Spry’s  plantation  to  the  “Narrows” 
on  Black  River.  Every  man  under  sixty  years  old,  white 
and  black,  free  or  slave,  should  be  a  unit  for  taxation,  and 
every  two  hundred  and  fifty  acres  of  land  should  be 
counted  as  a  man  for  taxation.  The  commissioners  ap¬ 
pointed  were  so  to  clear  Black  River  that  it  would  be  navi¬ 
gable  for  “boats,  barges,  pettiaguas,  lighters,  and  other 
vessels.” 

In  1732,  the  Roger  Gordon  colony  came  up  Black  River, 
disembarked  at  Brown’s  Ferry  and  blazed  its  way  through 
the  country  to  the  King’s  Tree.  This  blazed  trail,  which 
is  now  a  part  of  the  Kingstree-Georgetown  highway,  was 
the  first  trail  the  white  men  made  to  the  King’s  Tree.  It 
has  been  continuously  used  as  a  road  since  1732. 

In  1734,  John  Witherspoon  came  from  Belfast,  Ireland, 
by  way  of  Charleston,  Georgetown,  and  thence  up  Black 
River  to  Potato  Ferry,  where  he  and  his  people  disem¬ 
barked  and  blazed  a  trail  westward  to  the  King’s  Tree. 
This  blazed  trail  became  the  Kingstree-Potato  Ferry  road 
and  has  been  open  to  wayfarers  since  1734.  Many  years 
before  this  time,  a  trail  had  been  made  from  the  Black 
Mingo  community  southward  to  Lennd’s  Ferry  on  the  San¬ 
tee.  The  Williamsburg-Georgetown  County  line  road  fol¬ 
lows  this  ancient  trail.  The  Wee  Tee  Indians  had  a  trail 
from  Lenud’s  Ferry  westward  along  the  north  bank  of  the 
Santee  River  to  where  the  abandoned  Lower  Saint  Mark’s 
Church  now  stands,  and  to  the  West.  This  Indian  trail 
grew  into  the  Santee  River  road. 


GROWING  PAINS  AND  PETITIONS 


61 


The  first  public  road  established  by  law  in  Williams¬ 
burg  was  that  from  Murray’s  Ferry  to  the  King’s  Tree. 
This  road  was  laid  out  by  Act  of  the  Colonial  Council  on 
the  8th  day  of  March,  1741.  All  of  the  inhabitants  and 
owners  of  slaves  on  the  North  side  of  the  Santee  River, 
within  so  many  miles  of  Murray’s  Ferry  as  the  commis¬ 
sioners  of  the  public  roads  judged  proper,  were  obliged, 
made  liable,  and  directed  to  make  and  keep  in  repair  the 
Murray’s  Ferry  road  to  the  King’s  Tree  in  the  same  manner 
as  was  described  by  the  Highway  Act  of  the  General  As¬ 
sembly  of  the  province. 

By  the  same  Act,  Murray’s  Ferry  over  the  Santee  River, 
connecting  this  road  with  the  road  to  Charleston,  was 
vested  in  Joseph  Murray.  By  the  terms  of  this  Act,  Joseph 
Murray,  his  executors,  administrators,  or  assigns,  were 
required  to  provide  and  keep  at  the  said  ferry  for  a  term 
of  seven  years  “one  good  and  sufficient  boat  with  at  least 
two  able  men  (one  of  which  shall  be  a  white  man)  fit 
for  transporting  passengers,  horses,  and  cattle.”  He  was 
allowed  to  charge  ferriage  for  each  passenger  on  foot  two 
shillings  and  sixpence;  for  each  horse,  three  shillings  and 
nine  pence ;  for  a  man  and  a  horse,  five  shillings ;  for  neat 
cattle,  per  head,  ferried  or  swam,  one  shilling;  for  calves, 
sheep,  or  hogs,  per  head,  six  pence.  “When  the  ‘freshes’ 
are  so  high  that  they  are  obliged  to  go  from  highland  to 
highland,  then  all  persons  passing  the  ferry  shall  be  obliged 
to  pay  double  the  rates  above  mentioned.”  This  ferry 
was  to  be  free  at  all  times  to  all  persons  sent  on  His 
Majesty’s  service. 

About  1750,  somebody  blazed  a  trail  from  Kingstree  to 
Camden  over  Broad,  Clapp’s  and  Pudding  Swamps,  and 
about  the  same  time,  a  trail  from  Kingstree  northward 
by  Effingham  toward  Cheraw.  The  Witherspoons  made 
a  trail  from  Kingstree  over  Black  River  at  what  is  now 
known  as  the  Lower  Bridge  about  1740. 


62 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


On  the  25th  day  of  May,  1745,  Thomas  McKeithen,  John 
Mclver,  David  Allen,  Nathaniel  Drew,  and  John  McCants 
were  appointed  commissioners  for  cutting  and  clearing 
the  lakes  and  water  courses  in  the  swamp  at  the  head  of 
Black  Mingo  Creek  from  the  plantation  of  Colonel  An¬ 
thony  White  to  the  mouth  of  Heathley’s  run  and  to  make 
the  stream  navigable  for  flats  and  canoes.  These  persons 
were  allowed  to  charge  toll  rates  on  everything  passing 
through  the  canal  and  required  to  render  an  account 
yearly  of  the  money  collected  by  them. 

The  highway  commissioners  for  the  township  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg,  or  said  part  of  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish  as 
lies  on  Black  River,  in  17 47,  were  as  follows :  Robert  Gib¬ 
son,  William  Young,  William  Frierson,  Isaac  Brunson, 
John  Leviston,  Roger  Gordon,  Robert  Wilson,  John 
Jones,  and  John  Allen.  This  board  of  commissioners 
was  ordered  to  meet  on  Easter  Monday  and  on  the  first 
Monday  of  August  of  every  year.  They  were  authorized 
to  exercise  general  supervision  over  the  roads  and  ferries 
in  the  district. 

In  1748,  the  following  commissioners  were  instructed 
to  build  a  bridge  over  Black  River  at  the  King’s  Tree: 
Nathaniel  Drew,  John  Allen,  William  Young,  John  Levis¬ 
ton,  William  Frierson,  William  Nelson,  and  William 
James.  In  1756,  the  inhabitants  of  Williamsburg  Town¬ 
ship  petitioned  the  Council  that  “a  ferry  be  established 
from  the  plantation  of  Theodore  Gaillard  on  the  South 
side  of  Santee  River  to  Murray’s  Landing  on  the  North 
side  of  the  River;  and  have  a  more  convenient  passing 
when  the  freshes  are  up;  that  the  Creek  called  Ferry 
Creek  on  the  South  side  of  the  River  and  the  Creek  leading 
to  the  North  side  of  the  river  to  Murray’s  house  be  cleared 
and  cleansed.”  This  ferry  was  vested  in  Theodore  Gaillard. 
The  Council  ordered  that  the  Creek  on  the  North  side 
of  Santee  River  leading  from  Murray’s  house  to  the  River 
be  cleared  and  thereafter  kept  clean  and  clear  so  that 


GROWING  PAINS  AND  PETITIONS 


63 


there  might  be  free  passage  for  the  ferry  boat  or  boats  in 
the  said  Creek  when  the  river  was  high,  by  the  male  in¬ 
habitants  from  sixteen  to  sixty  years  of  age  living  and 
residing  in  the  township  of  Williamsburg,  or  within  five 
miles  of  Murray’s  Ferry.  John  Leviston,  William  Young, 
and  William  Nelson  were  appointed  commissioners  for 
clearing  this  Creek. 

The  Williamsburg  section  was  thought  to  offer  great 
opportunities  and  all  of  the  land  in  the  Township  was 
taken  up  by  grants  within  a  very  short  time  after  the 
lines  of  the  township  had  been  established.  In  1737,  John 
Hamilton  petitioned  the  King  for  a  grant  of  two  hundred 
thousand  acres  of  land  as  near  as  possible  to  Williams¬ 
burg  Township.  In  his  petition,  he  stated  that  he  could 
bring  over  immediately  about  one  hundred  forty  Protes¬ 
tant  families,  skilled  in  the  production  of  wine,  currants, 
raisins,  oil,  coffee,  cocoa,  hemp,  flax,  wax,  honey,  saffron, 
and  all  kinds  of  grain  and  cattle,  and  that  this  section 
was  well  adapted  to  the  production  of  all  of  these  things. 

John  Hamilton’s  grandfather,  John,  and  Robert  Mont¬ 
gomery,  were  the  two  leading  spirits  in  the  migration  of 
the  Scotch  into  Northern  Ireland  during  the  seventeenth 
century,  and  the  John  Hamilton  of  1737  hoped  to  found  a 
colony  in  this  section.  His  petition,  however,  for  the  grant 
of  two  hundred  thousand  acres  of  land  for  his  colony 
was  not  given  action  by  the  King,  and  John  Hamilton 
became  an  ordinary  citizen  of  Williamsburg. 

Another  petition  of  interest,  dated  1742,  and  signed  by 
Thomas  McCrea,  Alexander  McCrea,  Crafton  Kerwin,  and 
William  McNeedy,  represents  to  the  Colonial  Council  that 
these  four  petitioners  had  been  granted  lands  in  the  North¬ 
eastern  corner  of  the  Township  as  originally  surveyed; 
that  they  had  settled  thereon  and  had  gone  through  much 
labor  and  expense  in  making  their  plantations  suitable 
for  habitation  and  for  the  production  of  salable  articles; 
that  some  time  later  the  Colonial  Council  had  sent  a  man 


64 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


purporting  to  be  a  surveyor  to  this  section  and  that  this 
man  had  gone  to  the  hospitable  home  of  John  Peter  Somer- 
lioeff,  about  fifteen  miles  from  any  point  of  Williamsburg 
Township,  and,  without  approaching  any  nearer  the  Town¬ 
ship  than  Mr.  SomerhoefFs  piazza,  had  made  another  plat 
of  the  township  which  so  changed  the  lines  that  the  grants 
of  these  petitioners  therefore  made  in  good  faith,  accepted, 
and  acted  upon,  had  been  left  outside  of  the  Township 
and  had  thereafter  been  included  in  grants  to  other  per¬ 
sons.  These  four  petitioners  further  said  that  they  had 
been  caused  great  annoyance  and  expense  in  defending 
their  claims  to  original  grants  and  submitted  bills  for  the 
damages  they  had  sustained.  This  matter  was  finally  ad¬ 
justed  to  the  satisfaction  of  these  petitioners. 

Many  grants  of  land  were  made  in  Williamsburg  Town¬ 
ship  in  violation  of  the  order  of  the  King  establishing  the 
Township.  By  decree,  land  in  Williamsburg  Township 
should  have  been  granted  only  to  bona  fide  settlers,  but 
there  were  a  great  many  influential  people  in  Charleston, 
suspecting  the  value  the  lands  in  Williamsburg  would 
probably  have,  secured  grants  within  the  territory  without 
having  any  intention  of  actually  settling  thereon.  These 
grants  greatly  damaged  the  Township  and  were  a  source 
of  much  ill  feeling  among  the  bona  fide  settlers.  The  two 
petitions  following  represent  something  of  public  opinion 
in  Williamsburg  in  1742  in  regard  to  these  illegal  grants. 

Representation  of  the  inhabitants  of  Williamsburg, 
complaining  to  His  Majesty’s  Forty-third  instruction  be¬ 
ing  broke  thro’  by  the  Governor  and  Council. 

“To  Henry  McCulloh,  Esq.,  the  Humble  Representation 
of  the  inhabitants  of  the  town  of  Williamsburg  showeth 
that,  being  informed,  His  Majesty  has  been  graciously 
pleased  to  constitute  and  appoint  you  as  His  Commissary 
with  full  power  to  inquire  into  the  abuses  with  respect 
to  the  grants  of  land  and  the  quitrent  payable  thereupon 


GROWING  PAINS  AND  PETITIONS 


65 


and  towards  preventing  and  determining  all  matters  in 
relation  to  the  premises : 

“We  beg  leave  to  represent  that  by  His  Majesty’s  Forty- 
third  instruction  to  his  Governor  of  this  province,  there 
were  eleven  townships  set  apart  for  the  reception  of  such 
Protestants  as  might  come  and  settle  in  this  province;  that 
in  consideration  of  the  encouragement  given  us  by  the 
Government  and  Council  and  from  the  certainty  we  appre¬ 
hended  with  it,  under  His  Majesty’s  Royal  Instructions 
to  His  Governor,  had  secured  our  properties  and  the  re¬ 
mainder  of  the  township  lands  would  remain  only  for  the 
uses,  direct  by  his  Majesty’s  instructions,  which  would 
have  enabled  us  to  have  brought  over  our  friends  and  rela¬ 
tives  to  settle  in  our  neighborhood.  We,  under  these  en¬ 
couragements,  transported  ourselves  and  families  to  this 
province  and  settled  in  Williamsburg  Township. 

“But  to  our  great  concern,  we  have  found  the  land  in 
this  township  a  common  unrestrained  range  to  all  per¬ 
sons,  and  the  best  land  therein  taken  up  by  persons,  who 
have  not  at  this  time  settled  the  same  nor,  in  all  probabil¬ 
ity,  will  at  any  time  reside  thereon.  Some  of  us  have  been 
sued  for  trespass  on  land  pointed  out  to  us  by  the  Deputy 
Surveyor  and  have  been  caused  considerable  damage  and 
others  have  become  tenants  rather  than  remove  their  fam¬ 
ilies.  Some  time  past,  we  presented  our  humble  petition 

to  the  Governor’s  Council  setting  forth  our  said  griev- 

« 

ances  and  praying,  but  we  could  obtain  no  answer.  We, 
therefore,  take  leave  to  trouble  you  with  a  copy  of  the 
same,  wherein  the  hardships  we  have  labored  under  here 
are,  which  we  humbly  submit  to  your  consideration. 

“The  river,  by  which  we  can  have  any  convenience  of 
our  goods  to  a  market,  is  rendered  difficult  in  the  navi¬ 
gation,  by  reason  of  great  trees,  which  fall  therein  and 
which  the  General  Assembly  should  pass  a  law  for  clear¬ 
ing  same.  Now  the  whole  burden  of  that  work  falls  on 
us,  the  residenters,  while  those  who  are  possessed  of  large 


66 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


tracts  of  the  most  valuable  lands  contribute  nothing  to  it. 

“We  have  letters  from  our  friends  in  Ireland,  acquaint¬ 
ing  us  of  their  desire  to  come  here,  if  we  could  in  any 
shape  encourage  them,  which  we  have  to  decline  because 
of  the  lands  being  run  and  possessed  by  others.  We  take 
leave,  Sir,  to  assure  you  that  every  tract  alleged  in  our 
said  petition  and  in  this,  our  humble  representation,  shall 
be  effectually  proved,  with  the  addition  of  many  more 
particulars,  when  you  will  please  to  require  it. 

“We  pray,  therefore,  you  will  take  the  premises  into 
consideration  and  that  you  will  relieve  us  of  the  many  op¬ 
pressions  and  hardships  we  labor  under,  in  relation  to 
our  possessions  in  the  said  Township  of  Williamsburgh. 
And  we  shall  ever  pray. 

“Williamsburg  Township,  the  19th  day  of  January,  1742. 
(Signed)  James  Bradley,  Thomas  McCrea,  Alexander 
Scott,  John  Fleming,  James  Scott,  John  Bradley,  Wil¬ 
liam  Bradley,  Thomas  Bradley,  Samuel  Bradley,  William 
Dick,  Thomas  Scott,  Patrick  Lindsay,  William  McCormick, 
Joseph  Anderson,  James  Armstrong,  John  Moore,  Henry 
Montgomery,  William  Pressley,  John  James,  John  Flem¬ 
ing,  John  Hamilton,  Robert  Witherspoon,  John  Dick, 
Robert  Wilson,  Roger  Gibson,  George  Burrows,  Adam 
Strain,  John  Watson,  Avagbel  Campbell,  David  Wither¬ 
spoon,  John  McCullough,  James  Gamble,  George  Mont¬ 
gomery,  John  McKnight,  William  James,  Alexander  Mc¬ 
Crea,  Robert  Wilson,  John  Pressley,  Hugh  McGill,  John 
Matthews,  John  Anderson,  James  Dick,  John  Lemon, 
Robert  McCottry,  John  McFadden,  John  Anderson,  Jr., 
James  McClelland,  John  Blakeley,  James  Law,  Roger 
Gordon,  William  McKnight,  David  Wilson,  Thomas  Mc¬ 
Crea,  John  Scott,  John  Leviston,  John  Porter,  Gavin 
Witherspoon,  John  Ervin.” 

The  following  is  a  copy  of  first  petition  in  the  same  mat¬ 
ters. 


GROWING  PAINS  AND  PETITIONS 


67 


“To  the  Honorable  William  Bull,  Esq.,  Lieutenant  Gov¬ 
ernor,  and  Commander-in-chief  in  and  over  His  Majesty’s 
Honorable  Council. 

“The  humble  petition  of  several  subscribing  persons,  in¬ 
habitants  of  Williamsburg  Township,  showing  that  your 
petitioners  and  the  rest  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  said 
Township  are  chiefly  Irish  Protestants,  who  came  over 
from  their  native  country  to  this  province  at  their  own 
expense,  to  settle  in  the  said  Township,  encouraged  by  an 
account  they  received  that  the  lands  in  the  said  township 
were  for  the  most  part  good  and  fertile,  and  the  same 
wholly  reserved  for  such  distant  Protestants  as  should 
come  here  from  Europe  to  settle  same  and  particularly 
for  Irish  Protestants. 

“That  your  petitioners  were  informed  and  apprehended 
a  scheme  of  settling  as  well  the  said  Township  as  other 
townships;  were  strictly  enjoined  by  His  Majesty’s  Royal 
Instructions  to  His  Late  Excellency,  Governor  Johnson, 
with  the  view  of  encouraging  back  inhabitants  who  would 
make  no  great  use  of  slaves  in  these  parts  but  from  their 
own  labor  that  they  might  have  a  competent  maintenance 
and,  upon  any  occasion,  be  the  more  ready  to  unite  for 
the  public  safety,  for  the  said  instructions,  as  your  peti¬ 
tioners  are  informed,  have  been  not  altered  from  their 
first  frame  in  that  particular,  since  the  demise  of  the  said 
Government,  but  continues  still  in  force  as  His  Majesty’s 
stated  plan  for  the  settling  of  the  said  Township;  that 
several  of  the  said  inhabitants,  who  first  arrived  in  the 
said  Township,  were  obliged  by  the  Deputy  Surveyor  to 
settle  on  contiguous  tracts  of  land  laid  out  for  them  in 
square  forms  beginning  at  a  certain  place  there  called  the 
King’s  Tree,  which  your  petitioners  thought  a  great  hard¬ 
ship,  to  be  debarred  from  making  any  choice,  for  rather 
the  said  lands  were  for  the  most  part  infertile,  pine  bear¬ 
ing  lands,  and  not  likely  to  afford  any  produce  or  profit 
to  compensate  the  trouble  of  cultivating  same,  but  as 


68 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


they  were  given  to  understand  that  the  said  Deputy  Sur¬ 
veyor  was  instructed  by  the  Government  to  settle  them  in 
such  a  manner,  that  a  square  of  land  six  miles  round  the 
township  line  was  reserved  for  the  further  accommodating 
of  the  said  Township  inhabitants,  the  said  inhabitants 
proceeded  to  improve  and  settle  the  said  squares  in  tracts 
to  the  best  of  their  power  in  hopes  of  being  afterwards 
better  provided  for  out  of  the  said  reserved  lands. 

“That  the  second  set  of  people  who  arrived  in  the  sec¬ 
ond  ship  to  settle  the  said  township  were  subject  to  the 
same  strictness  and  hardships,  but  were  nevertheless  en¬ 
couraged  with  the  same  hopes  of  having  better  lands  in  the 
parish  line,  as  well  for  themselves  as  for  their  relatives 
and  countrymen  who  they  expected  would  follow  them. 

“But,  your  petitioners  cannot  but  represent  to  your 
Honor  how  greatly  disappointed  in  finding  the  lands  of  the 
said  Township  afterwards  become  a  common  unrestrained 
range  for  other  people.  All  of  the  good  lands  of  both  are 
taken  up  by  gentlemen  residing  in  other  parts  of  the  prov¬ 
ince  who  were  better  able  to  pay  surveyors,  and  were  resid¬ 
ing  at  Charleston,  to  get  their  grants  passed  for  them  so 
that  only  these  first  families  who  came  over  last  to  settle 
with  their  countrymen  in  the  said  Township  were  greatly 
disappointed. 

“Many  of  them  have  been  obliged  to  become  tenants  in 
the  said  Township  to  gentlemen  who  had  lands  there 
granted  them  in  great  tracts,  who  were  directed  by  the 
Township  Surveyor  to  settle  with  their  families  in  par¬ 
ticular  places,  and  had  the  misfortune  to  find  their  posses¬ 
sions  granted  others  and  so  became  subject  to  actions  at 
law  attended  with  great  expenses,  and  others  obliged  to 
struggle  into  other  parts  of  the  province. 

“Your  petitioners  cannot  but  further  represent  your 
Honor  that,  notwithstanding  the  many  discouragements 
they  have  labored  under,  yet  they  have  adhered  to  each 
other  and  the  said  Township  still  consists  of  about  one 


GROWING  PAINS  AND  PETITIONS 


69 


hundred  and  fifty  able  male  persons  willing  and  ready  to 
furnish  their  assistance  in  defense  of  the  province  against 
any  of  His  Majesty’s  enemies,  but  must  at  the  same  time, 
humbly  desire  that  the  scheme  for  settling  them  directed 
by  His  Majesty  be  fulfilled  to  have  that  said  Township 
lands  rendered  wholly  for  the  Township  inhabitants  and 
that  the  township  be  made  a  parish  with  the  privileges 
of  sending  representatives  to  the  Assembly  as  His  Majesty 
has  most  graciously  directed ;  otherwise,  most  of  your  peti¬ 
tioners  must  think  it  prudent  to  remove  to  some  other 
of  His  Majesty’s  provinces  where  they  may  hope  to  meet 
with  less  danger  and  more  encouragement. 

“Your  petitioners  take  leave  to  set  forth  the  names  of 
several  persons  who  have  had  lands  granted  to  them  in 
the  said  township,  but  who  reside  in  other  parts  of  the 
province,  viz. :  George  Hunter,  John  Ballentine,  Captain 
John  Cleland,  the  Reverend  John  Baxter,  Charles  Starnes, 
Andrew  Rutledge,  Esq.,  Thomas  Monk,  Bridget  Hughes, 
Samuel  Pontovine,  Captain  James  Fisher,  John  Scott  (of 
Charleston),  Elisha  Screven,  Captain  John  Whitfield, 
Sarah  Blakeway,  Jane  Eldridge,  John  Wilson,  Lieutenant 
Thomas  Farrington,  and  Captain  J ames  Atkins,  and  many 
others,  upon  the  view  of  which  list  your  petitioners  have 
reason  to  hope  your  Honor  will  take  the  premises  into 
consideration  and  grant  such  relief  as  your  Honor  in  your 
great  wisdom,  shall  think  most  meet.  And  your  peti¬ 
tioners  will  ever  pray.” 

In  1742,  when  a  number  of  citizens  of  Williamsburg 
petitioned  the  King  for  the  redress  of  certain  grievances, 
among  other  things,  they  stated  that  they  stood  ready 
at  all  times  to  serve  His  Majesty  and  to  fight  his  battles. 
Not  many  years  after  this  time  France  and  England  began 
the  final  war  which  determined  that  England  should  con¬ 
trol  this  continent.  The  French  enlisted  the  services  of 
the  Indians  in  this  war  and  the  Cherokee  tribe  threatened 
South  Carolina.  It  is  very  interesting  to  note  that  in 


70 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


1759,  when  the  King  called  for  volunteers  to  serve  in  this 
French  and  Indian  War,  two  companies  from  Williams¬ 
burg  immediately  responded.  The  first  company :  Captain 
William  Scott;  Sergeant  Alexander  Scott;  privates,  George 
Davis,  Thomas  Davis,  Matt  Young,  John  Anderson,  John 
Garrison,  James  Barr,  George  Whitby,  Robert  Wilson, 
George  Crawford,  John  McNally,  Samuel  Ervin,  Hugh 
Ervin,  Samuel  Ford.  The  second  company :  Captain  David 
Anderson;  Ensign  Robert  Lewis;  Sergeant  Thomas  Hume; 
privates,  Peter  Mellett,  William  Grimes,  Thomas  Dial, 
Joseph  Chandler,  Roger  McGill,  Charles  McCoy,  Thomas 
Player,  Thomas  Newman,  John  Rowell,  John  Kennedy, 
James  Ferdon,  John  McIntosh,  John  DuBose,  John  Lloyd, 
Thomas  Commander,  Daniel  Butler,  John  Bradley,  Aaron 
Frierson,  James  Armstrong,  William  Westberry,  Sylvester 
Dunn,  Nathaniel  Pygott,  Stephen  Motte,  James  Berwick, 
James  Gordon,  Henry  Price,  Daniel  Bluset,  Alexander 
Chosewood,  John  Dubush. 

Since  one  of  the  reasons  expressed  by  the  King  for  the 
creation  of  Williamsburg  Township  was  the  protection 
of  Charleston  and  Beaufort  from  the  incursions  of  the 
Indians  from  the  West,  it  was  natural  that  those  colonists, 
who  first  came  to  the  Township,  feared  the  Red  Men.  The 
first  colony  elected  Roger  Gordon  as  Captain  of  the  Militia 
Company  at  the  King’s  Tree  and  all  able  bodied  men  in 
the  township  immediately  enlisted.  They  built  a  stock¬ 
ade  fort  on  Roger  Gordon’s  land  near  where  the  Williams¬ 
burg  cemetery  stands  at  present.  It  was  planned  that 
all  the  colonists  in  this  vicinity  should  take  refuge  within 
this  stockade  whenever  an  Indian  attack  was  impending, 
but  the  Indians  never  disturbed  the  Williamsburg  colony. 

As  the  territory  of  Craven  County  was  settled  from 
time  to  time,  other  communities  organized  militia  com¬ 
panies  and  these  were  mustered  into  the  regiment.  Roger 
Gordon  became  the  first  colonel  of  this  Regiment,  which 


GROWING  PAINS  AND  PETITIONS 


71 


played  a  distinguished  part  in  the  history  of  South  Caro¬ 
lina  so  long  as  the  territory  belonged  to  Great  Britain. 

The  first  regimental  mustering  ground  in  Craven  County 
was  on  the  spot  where  the  Williamsburg  Court  House  now 
stands.  Later,  the  Regiment  sometimes  was  mustered 
near  Willtown  on  Black  Mingo.  Sometimes  the  various 
companies  gathered  at  Murray’s  Ferry  on  the  Santee. 
Among  the  colonels  of  this  Craven  County  Regiment  were 
Roger  Gordon,  George  Pawley,  John  White,  Anthony 
White,  and  Richard  Richardson;  Captains,  Abram  Mich- 
aux,  John  Waites,  William  Scott,  John  McDonald,  David 
Anderson,  William  Nelson,  John  McDaniel,  Isaac  Brun¬ 
son,  John  Jannerett,  John  James,  Daniel  Horry,  Henry 
O’Neal,  James  McGirt,  and  James  Crockett;  and  the  lieu¬ 
tenants,  William  Frierson,  Peter  Robertson,  John  Levis- 
ton,  Daniel  McDaniel,  Samuel  Cantey,  Abraham  Lenud, 
Paul  Bonneau,  Edward  German,  Charles  Woodmason  and 
Robert  Lewis. 

Long  before  the  Scotch-Irish  came  to  Williamsburg,  the 
Indians  had  abandoned  the  section  as  a  place  for  per¬ 
manent  residence.  Sometimes,  however,  they  came  to  fish 
and  hunt  in  the  swamps  of  Black  River  and  the  Santee. 
They  did  not  like  these  parts  during  mosquito  season. 

Tradition  says  that  there  were  three  small  tribes  of 
Indians  that  had  their  headquarters  within  the  territory 
now  known  as  Williamsburg  County,  and  there  is  yet  some 
evidence  visible  to  sustain  it.  It  is  said  that  the  Mingoes 
had  their  camp  ground  in  the  fork  made  by  the  junction 
of  Indiantown  Swamp  and  Black  Mingo  Creek.  Their 
burying  ground  on  the  bluff  at  this  point  has  yielded  many 
relics  of  the  time  of  their  occupation.  The  word  “Mingo”, 
in  one  Indian  language,  means  black;  in  another,  a  kind 
of  officer.  Possibly,  the  Mingoes  were  Indian  chiefs  who 
spent  their  vacations  in  the  Indiantown-Black  Mingo 
country  and  hoped  to  find  there  after  death  the  “happy 
hunting  ground.”  The  Americans  who  dwell  in  this  sec- 


72 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


tion  now  will  tell  yon  that  it  is  the  favored  spot  on  earth 
and  give  reasons  from  the  past  and  present  to  prove  their 
statement. 

The  Wee  Nee  Indian  camp  was  located  in  the  forks  of 
Black  River  near  the  present  Williamsburg-Clarendon 
line.  Many  war  clubs,  arrow  heads,  and  other  Indian  inn 
plements  of  battle  may  be  found  in  this  community. 
Marion’s  Men  fought  many  skirmishes  in  this  section  dur¬ 
ing  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  Perhaps  this  might  be 
called  the  “dark  and  bloody”  ground  of  Williamsburg. 
Wee  Nee  is  a  favorite  name  for  associations  in  Williams¬ 
burg,  all  the  way  from  sewing  societies  to  banking  corpor¬ 
ations. 

The  Wee  Tee  Indians  lived  once  in  the  vicinity  of 
Lenud’s  Ferry  and  several  miles  westward  along  the  San¬ 
tee.  They  built  mounds  all  over  this  section.  Excavations 
in  these  mounds  have  brought  to  light  many  things  that 
Indians  loved  and  treasured.  B.  E.  Clarkson  says  when 
he  was  a  boy,  about  1875,  he  dug  into  one  of  those  mounds. 
Among  the  interesting  things  he  found  was  a  baby  skele¬ 
ton  enmeshed  in  beads.  This  was  contained  within  two 
pieces  of  pottery  attached. 

It  is  said  that  these  three  bands  of  Indians,  the  Wee 
Nees,  the  Wee  Tees,  and  the  Mingoes,  belonged  to  the  five 
great  nations  that  had  their  headquarters  along  the  Great 
Lakes.  It  is  believed,  however,  that  these  Indian  camping 
grounds  in  Williamsburg  were  not  places  of  permanent 
residence,  but  that  they  were  occupied  from  time  to  time 
by  hunting  and  fishing  parties  from  the  North  and  the 
West. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 


COLONIAL  WILLS. 

The  wills  of  the  people  of  Williamsburg  who  died  dur¬ 
ing  the  Colonial  period  are  recorded  in  the  office  of  the 
Judge  of  Probate,  Charleston.  To  those  who  can  see,  these 
wills  contain  a  vast  amount  of  historical  material.  One 
reads  in  them  that  the  average  man  of  Williamsburg  who 
came  about  1735,  without  a  material  possession,  amassed 
a  considerable  estate  wfithin  a  score  of  years.  When  he  died, 
his  will  and  inventory  of  his  goods  show  that  he  owned 
many  broad  acres  of  land,  a  number  of  valuable  slaves, 
droves  of  horses,  and  herds  of  cattle.  It  shows,  too,  that 
sometimes  he  wore  silver  shoe  buckles  and  a  “Wigg,” 
and  was  ready  to  furnish  a  “pair  of  pistols”  whenever  the 
code  duello  demanded.  The  rapid  recuperation  of  these 
Scotch-Irish  of  Williamsburg  under  these  pioneer  condi¬ 
tions  proves  what  manner  of  men  they  were.  Their  sus¬ 
tained  strength  under  further  development  is  simply  ad¬ 
ditional  evidence. 

In  these  old  wills,  the  women,  wives  and  daughters  and 
sisters,  are  called  by  name.  And  well  may  they  be  re¬ 
membered,  for  women  have  borne  the  burdens  of  the  day 
since  the  curse  was  pronounced  in  Eden.  When  one  looks 
into  the  first  life  of  these  “Poor  Protestants”  in  Williams¬ 
burg  and  regards  the  women,  he  draws  on  all  his  virtuous 
manhood  to  salute  them.  These  ancient  women  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  were  the  real  “Colonial  Dames  of  America.” 
Whether  or  not  their  fathers  had  been  commissioned  by 
the  King  for  service  in  the  colonies,  their  sons  were  called 
by  God  Almighty  for  the  accomplishment  of  American 
freedom  and  for  the  establishment  of  the  American  Com¬ 
monwealth.  And  right  worthily  did  these  sons  fulfill  their 
high  calling! 


74 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Here  follow  some  statements  taken  from  these  ancient 
wills,  and  a  few  comments.  All  are  described  as  planters 
unless  otherwise  specified. 

William  Anderson  married  Ann  Baxter,  a  widow.  He 
left  a  son,  Alexander  Anderson,  and  a  daughter,  Ann 
Anderson.  Charles  Baxter  was  his  stepson.  William 
Anderson  died  in  1746. 

John  Avant  died  in  1750  leaving  two  sons,  Francis  and 
John;  and  three  daughters,  Lydia,  Hannah,  and  Rebecca. 
One  of  his  daughters  married  a  Green,  for  he  left  two 
grandsons,  William  and  Francis  Green. 

James  Bradley  died  in  1775.  He  left  an  annuity  of  one 
hundred  pounds  to  be  paid  to  his  mother,  Jane,  who,  when 
a  widow,  married  William  Burrows.  His  sister,  Mary, 
married  Robert  McConnell.  He  had  three  half-brothers, 
George,  Samuel,  and  Joseph  Burrows;  and  one  half-sister, 
Jane  Burrows.  He  had  a  cousin  named  James  Bradley, 
who  was  the  son  of  his  uncle,  Samuel  Bradley. 

Moses  Britton  died  in  1773.  His  will  shows  that  he 
left  a  widow  named  Ann ;  two  sons,  Daniel  Lane  and  Ben¬ 
jamin;  and  a  daughter,  Rebecca.  He  had  three  brothers, 
Philip,  Henry,  and  Francis. 

Joseph  Britton  died  in  1773.  His  wife  was  named  Ann. 
He  left  eight  children,  Elizabeth,  Philip,  Thomas,  Martha, 
Mary,  Moses,  Joseph,  and  John. 

William  Barr  died  in  1764.  His  wife  was  named  Esther. 
His  children  were  James,  Margaret,  Isaac,  Nathaniel, 
Rachael,  Caleb,  Jacob,  Silas,  Esther,  John,  and  William. 
He  instructed  his  executors  to  have  each  one  of  his  chil¬ 
dren  taught  a  trade. 

William  Brockinton  died  in  1741.  He  and  his  wife, 
Sarah,  lived  on  the  South  side  of  Black  Mingo  Creek. 
His  sons  were  William,  John,  and  Richard;  his  daughters, 
Elizabeth,  afterwards  wife  of  James  Hepburn;  Mary, 
married  Joshua  Jolly;  Hannah,  married  James  Hoole; 
and  Sarah  Jane.  Sarah,  wife  of  William,  died  in  1759, 


COLONIAL  WILLS 


75 


leaving  a  will  in  which  she  made  her  son  Richard  executor. 
William  and  Sarah  Brockinton  were  ancestors  of  all  the 
South  Carolina  Brockintons. 

William  Brockinton,  Jr.,  married  Rachel  Commander 
in  1742  and  died  in  1743.  He  left  all  of  his  property  to 
his  wife,  providing  for  an  unborn  child.  This  “unborn 
child”  became,  in  all  probability,  the  Joseph  Brockinton 
of  whom  Bishop  Gregg  writes  in  his  “History  of  the  Old 
Cheraws.” 

William  Borland  died  in  1741.  His  wife  was  named 
Mary.  He  left  two  sons,  William  and  Archibald;  and 
three  daughters,  Mary,  Jean,  and  Elizabeth. 

Timothy  Britton  died  in  1749.  He  divided  his  prop¬ 
erty  between  his  wife,  Mary,  and  his  child,  who  was  not 
named.  His  executors  were  his  wife,  Mary,  his  brother, 
Joseph,  and  his  brother-in-law,  Francis  Goddard. 

Philip  Britton  died  in  1749.  He  left  a  wife  named 
Jane,  but  no  child.  He  bequeathed  property  to  his  broth¬ 
ers,  Joseph,  Moses,  Francis,  and  Timothy  Britton;  his 
nephew,  John  Rae;  his  nieces,  Ann  and  Rachel;  and,  also, 
gives  some  property  to  Walter  Martin’s  two  children  and 
to  William  and  Francis  Goddard. 

Daniel  Britton  died  in  1748.  He  left  property  to  his 
wife,  Elizabeth,  and  to  his  unborn  child. 

John  Blakeley  died  in  1747.  He  left  a  wife,  who  was 
born  Elizabeth  Fleming,  and  four  children  who  were  not 
named  in  his  will.  He  designated  James  Armstrong,  Wil¬ 
liam  Pressley,  and  James  McClelland,  and  his  brother 
James,  executors,  and  ordered  that  if  his  wife,  Elizabeth, 
remarried,  his  brother  James  was  to  have  control  of  his 
children  and  of  his  estate.  He  left  fifty  acres  of  land 
to  the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Congregation. 

Elizabeth  Clapp  died  in  1751.  She  was  the  daughter 
of  Gibson  Clapp,  for  whom  Clapp  Swamp  was  named. 
In  her  will,  she  mentions  her  grandfather,  Colonel  Thomas 
Lynch ;  her  uncle,  the  Honorable  Joseph  Blake ;  her  beloved 


76 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


sister,  Mary  Clapp;  her  mother,  Sarah  Hopton,  wife  of 
William  Hopton ;  her  aunt,  Sarah  Blake,  half-sister  to  her 
father;  and  her  aunt,  Mary  Acheson,  daughter  of  her 
grandfather,  Thomas  Lynch. 

Isaac  Chandler  died  in  1748.  He  left  a  widow  named 
Elizabeth;  two  sons,  Samuel  and  Isaac;  and  a  daughter, 
Ann.  He  was  an  Antipaedo  Baptist  minister  and  was 
trained  under  the  Reverend  William  Screven,  the  elder. 
Mr.  Chandler  was  a  member  of  the  Baptist  colony  which 
came  with  Reverend  William  Screven  from  Kittery,  Maine, 
and  settled  at  Somerton.  He  was  at  his  death  a  man  of 
considerable  wealth,  much  learning,  and  liberal  culture. 
His  will  indicates  that  he  owned  one  of  the  largest  private 
libraries  of  his  day,  and  many  heirlooms  of  silver  and 
gold. 

John  Dick  died  in  1749.  His  will  names  his  wife,  Jane; 
his  sons,  Robert,  John,  and  William;  his  daughter,  Jannet, 
who  married  Packer ;  his  daughter,  Elizabeth,  who  married 
John  Leviston;  his  daughter,  Margaret,  who  married  John 
Scott ;  his  daughter,  Mary,  who  married  Runnels ;  and  his 
daughter,  Susannah,  who  married  Wirter.  He  names  two 
of  his  grandchildren,  John  and  Samuel  Leviston. 

Nathaniel  Drew  died  in  1750.  His  wife  was  born  Mar¬ 
garet  Barr.  He  mentions  in  his  will  his  son,  Samuel 
Drew;  his  brother,  David  Drew;  and  his  sister,  Mary 
Drew,  who  married  Thomas  Ervin,  of  Fog’s  Manor,  Pa. ; 
and  his  son-in-law,  John  Barr.  He  left  some  money  for 
the  education  of  his  two  grandsons,  John  and  Samuel 
Nesmith,  sons  of  John  Nesmith,  deceased.  After  specific 
bequests,  he  instructed  his  executors  to  sell  the  remainder 
of  his  estate  and  place  one-third  thereof  in  the  hands  of 
Reverend  John  Baxter,  Thomas  Carne,  and  Alexander  Mc- 
Cants,  trustees,  for  the  use  and  benefit  of  the  Presbyterian 
Congregation  at  Black  Mingo  Creek.  The  remaining  two- 
thirds  he  gives  to  James  McClelland  and  John  Leviston, 
trustees,  for  the  benefit  of  the  Presbyterian  Congregation 


COLONIAL  WILLS 


7T 


at  Williamsburg.  He  provides  that  these  trustees  shall 
give  security  for  this  money  and  that  none  of  it  shall  be 
paid  to  any  minister  but  one  who  preached  and  taught  the 
doctrines  and  submitted  to  the  rules  and  discipline  of 
the  Church  of  Scotland  and  who  was  of  moral  conduct. 

Margaret  Drew  died  in  1762.  She  was  the  widow  and 
relict  of  Nathaniel  Drew.  She  mentions  her  son,  Samuel 
Drew,  and  makes  her  trusty  and  well  beloved  sons-in-law, 
John  Brockinton  and  Samuel  Nesmith,  her  executors. 

John  Frierson  died  in  1760.  He  left  four  sons,  Aaron, 
Moses,  John,  James,  and  a  daughter,  Mary. 

John  Fleming  died  in  1750.  He  left  three  sons,  John, 
James,  and  William;  and  three  daughters,  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Blakeley;  and  Jannet,  who  married  James;  and 
Isabella,  who  married  John  Presslev. 

David  Fulton  died  in  1745.  In  his  will,  he  mentions  his 
wife,  Rebecca,  and  his  son,  Samuel.  After  making  spe¬ 
cific  bequests  to  them,  he  leaves  the  remainder  of  his  prop¬ 
erty  to  his  son,  Samuel  Fulton,  subject  to  the  payment  of 
one  hundred  pounds  to  Jean  Fulton,  only  daughter  of  his 
son,  Paul  Fulton,  deceased,  when  she  attains  the  age  of 
fifteen  years. 

Paul  Fulton  died  in  17 42.  He  mentions  his  wife,  Mary ; 
his  daughter,  Jean;  his  nephew,  David  Fulton;  and  his 
brother,  Samuel  Fulton. 

Roger  Gordon  died  in  1750.  His  wife  was  named  Mary. 
He  had  three  sons,  James,  John,  and  Moses;  and  four 
daughters,  Sarah,  who  married  Hugh  McGill;  Margaret, 
who  married  Robert  Wilson;  Elizabeth  and  Mary.  He 
mentions  his  granddaughter,  Mary,  and  his  grandsons, 
Roger  Wilson  and  Roger  McGill. 

Peter  Gourdin  died  in  1774.  He  gives  his  son,  Peter 
Gourdin,  all  of  his  property  when  he  shall  arrive  at  the 
age  of  nineteen  years.  He  instructed  that  his  son  should 
have  as  good  an  education  as  could  be  had  in  the  province 
of  South  Carolina.  He  directed  that  his  negro  man, 


78 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Billy,  should  not  be  put  to  any  field  work  but  to  be  kept 
jobbing  on  the  plantation  and,  in  proper  seasons,  to  tend 
the  indigo  works  about  the  vats,  and  further  that  Billy 
should  not  be  under  the  power  or  authority  of  any  over¬ 
seer  which  should  be  put  on  his  plantation  after  his  de¬ 
cease.  His  first  wife  was  named  Esther  Sullivan.  He 
wills,  if  his  son,  Peter,  die  before  he  arrives  at  the  age  of 
nineteen  years,  that  the  property  coming  to  him  from  his 
wife,  Esther,  shall  return  to  his  brother-in-law,  John  Sul¬ 
livan,  and  to  his  sister-in-law,  Margaret  Richbourgh.  If 
his  son,  Peter,  die  before  reaching  the  age  of  nineteen,  the 
property  which  came  to  him  from  his  late  wife,  who  was 
Ann  Lester,  should  return  to  his  brother-in-law,  John  Les¬ 
ter,  and  to  his  sister-in-law,  Martha  Lester.  He  mentions 
his  niece,  Mary  Ann  Finley;  his  nephews,  Theodore  and 
Samuel  Gourdin;  and  his  brother,  Isaac  Gourdin. 

Elizabeth  Jaudon  died  in  1743.  She  left  three  young 
children,  Paul,  David,  and  Elisha.  Paul  was  the  oldest 
and  yet  a  minor.  She  waived  his  age  and  made  him  her 
sole  executor. 

John  Hamilton  died  in  1744.  His  wife  was  Christian 
McClelland.  They  left  no  children.  He  bequeathed  three 
hundred  acres  of  land  in  Williamsburg  Township  for  the 
support  of  the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Church,  then 
under  the  management  of  Reverend  John  Rae. 

William  James  died  in  1750.  His  widow  was  named 
Elizabeth.  He  had  four  sons,  John,  William,  Robert,  and 
Samuel;  and  four  daughters,  Jannet,  Elizabeth,  Esther, 
and  Sarah.  He  mentions  his  sons-in-law,  David  Wilson, 
Gavin  Witherspoon,  James  McCullough,  and  Nathaniel 
McCullough. 

William  Heathly  died  in  1742.  He  mentions  his  wife, 
Mary;  his  son,  William;  and  his  daughter,  Elizabeth. 

William  Jamison  died  in  1756.  He  left  a  large  estate 
which  he  gave  to  his  sister,  Agnes  Still,  widow  of  James 
Still,  who  lived  in  Ireland.  Agnes  Still  came  to  Wil- 


COLONIAL  WILLS 


79 


liamsburg  with  James  McDowell,  who  was  married  to  her 
granddaughter,  Agnes  Davidson.  Agnes  Still  died  soon 
afterwards  and  left  her  property  to  James  McDowell. 
When  James  McDowell  died,  his  widow,  Agnes,  was  made 
attorney  for  them  by  the  following  heirs,  who  then  lived  in 
Ireland;  Archibald  Drew,  Margaret  Drew,  Adam  Wilson, 
William  McCormick,  James  McCormick,  George  Maxwell, 
Dorothy  Maxwell,  Robert  Adams,  and  Sarah  Adams. 

Crafton  Kerwin  died  in  1747,  leaving  a  widow,  Mary; 
and  a  son  Thomas.  His  widow  afterwards  married  the 
Reverend  John  Fordyce,  minister  of  Prince  Frederick’s 
Church. 

Sarah  Mongtomery  died  in  1770.  She  mentions  her  two 
sons,  William  and  Henry;  and  her  two  daughters,  Janet, 
who  married  Dunn;  and  Mary,  who  married  Armstrong; 
and  her  niece  and  her  nephew,  Margaret  and  John  Barr. 

William  McCalla  died  in  1750.  He  mentions  his  daugh¬ 
ter,  Jannet;  his  daughter,  Margaret,  wife  of  Alexander 
McCrea;  his  daughter,  Sarah;  and  his  daughter,  Jean, 
wife  of  John  James. 

John  McCormick  died  in  1752.  He  mentions  his  sister, 
Isabella  McCormick;  and  his  three  other  sisters,  Mary 
Averton,  Agnes  Carson,  and  Jean  Dick. 

William  McCormick  died  in  1750.  He  mentions  his  son, 
John  McCormick;  his  daughter,  Mary,  who  married  John 
Dick;  and  his  daughter,  Isabelle. 

James  McCown  died  in  1750.  He  left  all  of  his  prop¬ 
erty  in  the  hands  of  William  Young,  Samuel  Montgomery, 
and  Gavin  Witherspoon,  to  apply  so  much  of  same  as  was 
necessary  for  the  “Christian  education”  of  his  children, 
and  the  remainder  to  be  paid  to  his  sons,  David,  Thomas, 
and  James. 

John  McCrea  died  in  1765.  He  mentions  his  wife,  Mar¬ 
tha;  his  sons,  Thomas,  William,  John,  and  Joseph;  and 
his  daughter,  Sarah. 


80 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Joseph  McCrea  died  in  1762.  His  wife  was  named  Mary. 
He  left  two  daughters,  Mary,  and  Ann,  who  married  John 
Matthews. 

James  McClelland  died  in  1761.  His  wife  was  named 
Mary.  He  had  six  children,  James,  John,  Leonard,  Bryce, 
Samuel,  and  Grizelle. 

Abraham  Michaux  died  in  1767.  His  wife  was  named 
Lydia.  He  had  four  sons,  Peter,  Daniel,  Paul,  and  Wil¬ 
liam.  Of  his  daughters,  Lydia  married  Clegg;  Julia  mar¬ 
ried  Perry;  and  Hester  married  Cromwell. 

Samuel  Montgomery  died  in  1751.  He  left  his  wife, 
Jeleba,  his  plantation  and  all  his  slaves  so  long  as  she 
remained  his  widow.  He  mentions  his  sons,  Nathaniel  and 
William. 

Jonathan  Murrill  died  in  1743.  He  left  legacies  to  his 
children,  Anthony,  William,  Elizabeth,  Susannah,  Sarah, 
Mary,  and  Martha. 

John  Matthews  died  in  1750.  His  wife  was  Ann  McCrea. 
He  left  four  sons,  William,  John,  Isaac  and  Abraham ;  and 
four  daughters,  Mary,  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  and  Jean. 

Matthew  Nelson  died  in  1742.  He  mentions  his  eldest 
son,  George;  his  daughter,  Mary,  and  his  daughter,  Eliza¬ 
beth;  and  his  four  grandsons,  Matthew,  son  of  the  oldest 
son,  George;  Samuel,  son  of  his  son,  John;  William,  son 
of  his  son,  William ;  and  William,  son  of  his  son,  Samuel. 

George  Nelson  died  in  1742.  His  wife  was  named 
Eleanor.  He  had  two  sons,  Matthew  and  Jared;  and  three 
daughters,  Mary,  Jane,  and  Isabelle. 

John  Porter  died  in  1750.  He  had  a  son  named  James 
and  a  daughter  named  Mary  and  a  brother-in-law  named 
Joseph  Bradley. 

Dr.  Thomas  Potts  died  in  1760.  His  wife  was  named 
Sarah.  He  had  a  son  named  Thomas,  and  four  daughters, 
Mary,  Ann,  Elizabeth,  who  married  Swinton,  and  Mar¬ 
garet,  who  married  Potts.  He  had  a  grandson  named 
Thomas  Johnson. 


COLONIAL  WILLS 


81 


Robert  Paisley  died  in  1761.  His  wife  was  named  Mary. 
He  bad  four  sons,  John,  Robert,  James,  and  William;  and 
two  daughters,  Mary  and  Elizabeth. 

John  Rae  died  in  1760.  He  was  the  first  Minister  of 
the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Church.  His  wife  was 
named  Rachel.  They  left  no  children. 

Samuel  Scott  died  in  1774.  He  married  Margaret  Gregg. 
They  had  two  daughters,  Janet  and  Elizabeth.  His  widow 
married  second  William  Gordon,  third  William  Flagler. 
She  was  the  Margaret  Gregg  Gordon  of  the  Revolution. 

Reverend  Elisha  Screven  died  in  1756.  His  wife  was 
named  Hannah.  He  had  six  sons,  Joseph,  Elisha,  Joshua, 
Samuel,  William,  and  Benjamin;  and  two  daughters, 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  James  Fowler,  and  Hannah.  This  man 
was  the  founder  of  the  city  of  Georgetown. 

Nathaniel  Snow  died  in  1760.  He  had  three  sons, 
George,  James,  and  John;  and  two  daughters,  Mary  and 
Ann. 

James  Scott  died  in  1750.  He  left  all  of  his  property 
to  his  two  brothers,  Alexander  and  John. 

John  Scott  died  in  1750.  He  left  his  property  to  his 
wife,  and  children,  not  named,  and  made  his  brother 
William  Scott,  Richard  Richardson,  and  William  Cantey, 
his  executors. 

Samuel  Vareen  gives  all  of  his  property  to  his  grand¬ 
daughters,  Martha  and  Elizabeth  Crousby  and  Elizabeth 
Harbin.  He  makes  his  son-in-law,  Francis  Harbin,  and 
his  daughter,  Ann  Harbin,  executor  and  executrix. 

John  White  died  in  1750.  His  wife  was  named  Mary 
Ferguson.  They  left  one  son,  Blakely  White. 

John  Watson  died  in  1760.  He  left  two  hundred  pounds 
to  the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Church  and  the  remain¬ 
der  of  his  estate  to  be  equally  divided  among  the  duaghters 
of  Thomas  Scott,  of  Williamsburg,  deceased. 

James  Witherspoon  died  in  1768.  He  married  Eliza¬ 
beth  McQuoid.  They  had  four  sons,  James,  Gavin,  Robert, 


82 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  John;  and  one  daughter,  Ann,  who  married  Archibald 
McKee.  In  his  will,  he  mentions  his  granddaughter, 
Elizabeth  McKee. 

Elizabeth  Mouzon  died  in  1748.  She  mentions  her  five 
sons,  Louis,  James,  Peter,  Samuel,  and  Henry;  and  two 
daughters,  Elizabeth  and  Ann. 

Henry  Mouzon  died  in  1749.  His  wife  was  named  Ann. 
He  had  seven  children,  Henry,  Ann,  Esther,  Jane,  Sarah, 
Susannah  Elizabeth,  and  Mary  Ann. 

John  Pressley  died  in  1750.  His  wife  was  named  Mar¬ 
garet.  He  left  legacies  to  his  son,  William;  his  daughter, 
Susannah,  of  tender  age ;  his  daughter,  Sarah ;  his  daugh¬ 
ter,  Jane  McCullough;  and  his  daughter  Eleanor  Thomp¬ 
son.  In  his  will,  he  directs  that  if  his  house,  which  he 
leaves  to  his  wife,  should  become  unlit  to  live  in,  that  his 
son,  William,  should  build  her  a  house  twenty-eight  feet 
in  length,  and  eighteen  feet  in  breadth  and  that  he  shall 
keep  her  comfortable. 

Joshua  Screven  died  in  1761  and  is  buried  on  the  North 
side  of  Big  Dam  Swamp.  The  tombstone  standing  at 
the  head  of  his  grave  is  the  oldest  monument  in  Williams¬ 
burg  County.  He  endows  his  wife,  Hannah,  and  gives 
to  his  brother,  Benjamin  Screven,  his  plantations  on  the 
North  side  of  the  North  bank  of  Black  River.  He  gives 
his  silver  knee  buckles  to  his  brother,  William  Screven, 
and  his  watch  to  his  brother,  Benjamin  Screven;  and 
some  negroes  to  his  mother,  Hannah  Screven. 

William  Matthews  died  in  1760.  He  left  legacies  to  his 
wife,  Elizabeth,  and  to  his  son,  William. 

William  Sabb  died  in  1765.  His  wife  was  named  Debo¬ 
rah.  He  left  two  sons,  Thomas  Sabb  and  William  Sabb; 
and  four  daughters,  Deborah,  Anna,  Elizabeth,  and  Mary. 
In  this  will,  he  mentions  his  brother,  Thomas  Sabb. 

John  McBride  died  in  1766.  He  gives  his  wife,  Eliza¬ 
beth,  a  liberal  share  of  his  property  and  his  family  Bible. 


COLONIAL  WILLS 


83 


He  provides  for  his  five  children,  John,  James,  William, 
Samuel,  and  Rebecca,  and  for  an  unborn  child. 

Esther  Yanalle  died  in  1749  and  gave  all  of  her  prop¬ 
erty  to  her  husband,  Matthew  Yanalle. 

John  Scott  died  in  1788.  He  mentions  his  wife,  Sarah; 
his  mother-in-law,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Williams,  and  his  sis¬ 
ter-in-law,  Mrs.  Rebecca  Screven. 

Thomas  Scott  died  in  1766.  He  provides  for  his  wife, 
Jannet,  and  his  seven  daughters,  Elizabeth,  Jean,  Mary, 
Jannet,  Katherine,  Margaret,  and  Sarah,  and  gives  all  of 
his  real  estate  to  his  son,  William.  These  seven  daughters 
were  given  much  property  in  the  will  of  John  Watson. 

John  Scott  died  in  1769.  His  wife  was  named  Catherine. 
He  left  three  sons,  Samuel,  Joseph,  and  Moses,  and  one 
daughter,  Isabelle. 

Thomas  McCrea  died  in  1760  without  leaving  a  Avill. 
His  oldest  son,  William  McCrea,  did  not  come  to  this 
country  with  his  father  but  remained  in  Belfast,  County 
Antrim,  Ireland.  Thomas  McCrea  left  some  children  liv¬ 
ing  in  Williamsburg.  When  he  died,  his  brother,  Robert 
McCrea,  of  Lisnabrin,  County  Down,  Ireland,  made  affi¬ 
davit  to  these  facts,  aiding  William  McCrea  to  appoint 
attorneys  in  South  Carolina. 

Jannet  Scott  of  Williamsburg.  She  mentions  her  grand¬ 
son,  Thomas  Scott;  son,  William  Scott;  seven  daughters, 
Elizabeth,  Jean,  Mary,  Jannet,  Catherine,  Margaret,  and 
Sarah;  and  her  son-in-law,  John  Burrows.  This  will  was 
probated  on  the  29th  day  of  March,  1772. 

James  Fowler,  planter  and  merchant,  died  in  1772.  He 
mentions  his  father,  Richard  Fowler;  his  mother,  Sarah 
Fowler,  and  his  sister,  Joanna  Fowler,  all  of  whom  then 
lived  in  England;  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Screven,  and  his  only 
child,  Martha  Fowler.  He  provides  that  his  daughter, 
Martha,  should  inherit  when  she  reached  the  age  of 
eighteen  years,  and  appointed  his  friends,  John  Scott,  Wil¬ 
liam  Scott,  and  his  wife,  Elizabeth  Screven,  his  executors. 


84 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


William  Frierson  died  in  1773.  In  his  will,  he  mentions 
his  wife,  Mary;  his  son,  Robert,  and  his  son,  John  James. 
William  Brown,  William  Campbell,  and  Isaac  Nelson  were 
his  executors. 

Theodore  Gourdin’s  will  was  probated  January  8,  1774. 
He  mentions  his  brothers,  Isaac  and  Peter  Gourdin;  his 
sons,  Theodore  and  Samuel;  and  his  niece,  Marian  Bois- 
seau.  He  left  legacies  to  John  Buddin,  Esther  McDonald, 
daughter  of  the  late  Captain  John  McDonald,  and  Edward 
Howard,  son  of  George  Howard.  He  wills  that  in  the 
division  of  his  negroes  families  should  not  be  separated. 
His  will  was  witnessed  by  James  Lynch,  William  Buford, 
and  Daniel  Rhodus. 

Francis  Britton’s  will  was  proven  before  Samuel  Ne¬ 
smith,  Esq.,  March  24,  1768.  He  mentions  his  sons, 
Moses,  Francis,  and  Henry,  and  his  daughter,  Mary;  his 
grandson,  Daniel  Lane  Britton,  son  of  Moses;  Martha 
Britton;  and  Philip  Britton,  son  of  Joseph,  his  brother. 

Isaac  Brunson’s  will  was  proved  September  7,  1770.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Mary;  his  son,  Daniel;  and  his  other 
children — his  sons,  David,  Isaac,  Josiah,  Matthew,  Moses, 
and  Joshua  ;  and  his  daughters,  Mary  Mellett  and  Susan¬ 
nah. 

John  Fleming’s  will  was  proved  before  James  McCants, 
Esq.,  May  11,  1768.  He  mentions  his  wife,  Elizabeth;  his 
brother’s  daughter,  Elizabeth;  his  cousin,  Samuel  Shan¬ 
non;  his  sister,  Agnes  Cooper  alias  Fleming,  and  her  two 
sons,  James  and  Thomas  Cooper;  his  sister’s  son,  George, 
and  daughter,  Elizabeth  Cooper;  his  wife’s  daughter,  Jan- 
net,  and  her  daughter,  Elizabeth  Blakeley;  his  brother, 
James  Fleming  and  his  son,  Peter  Blakeley  Fleming. 

Henry  Montgomery’s  will  was  proved  January  26,  1769. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Sarah ;  his  sons,  William  and  Henry ; 
his  daughters,  Sarah  Jannett  Dunn  and  Mary  Armstrong 
and  his  nephew,  Hugh  Montgomery.  This  will  was  wit- 


COLONIAL  WILLS 


85 


nessed  by  Alexander  McCrea,  John  McElveen,  and  Wil¬ 
liam  McCullough. 

Jeremiah  Vareen’s  will  was  proved  July  5,  1767.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Mary  Yareen;  his  sons,  William,  Jere¬ 
miah,  and  Ebenezer;  his  son-in-law,  James  Sullivan;  his 
daughters,  Sarah  Lewis,  Ann  Jenkins,  Rebecca,  Hannah, 
Rachel,  Jane,  and  Martha, 

Thomas  Frierson’s  will  was  proved  December  27,  1770, 
before  James  McCants,  Esq.  He  mentions  his  wife,  Mary 
Frierson;  his  daughter,  Mary  Wilson,  and  his  daughter, 
Sarah  Scott ;  and  his  grandson,  Thomas  Wilson.  He  makes 
his  two  sons-in-law,  Roger  Wilson  and  John  Scott  his 
sole  executors. 

Mary  Gordon’s  will  was  proved  the  23rd  day  of  May, 
1766.  She  mentions  her  six  children,  Moses,  Elizabeth, 
Sarah,  Margaret,  Jean,  and  Mary.  She  left  a  legacy  to 
Mary  Wilson  and  also  one  to  John  Gordon,  if  he  come 
to  this  province.  She  makes  her  son,  Moses,  Samuel 
Bradley,  and  William  Frierson,  Jr.,  her  executors.  This 
will  was  witnessed  by  James  Dickey  and  Robert  Wilson. 

Royal  Spry’s  will  was  proved  December  27,  1770.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Rebecca;  his  four  children,  Jean,  John, 
Elizabeth,  and  Rebecca.  He  wills  that  his  oid  slave  Phyl¬ 
lis  should  have  her  freedom  immediately  after  his  death 
and  be  maintained  and  clothed  out  of  his  estate. 

Thomas  McKnight’s  will  was  proved  November  29,  1772. 
He  mentions  his  sons,  Robert,  James,  and  William;  and 
his  daughter,  Mary;  and  his  brother,  Robert.  His  will 
was  witnessed  by  William  Law,  George  Dickey,  and  Rich¬ 
ard  Tyser. 

John  McFadden’s  will  was  proved  July  19,  1773.  He 
mentions  his  five  children,  John,  James,  Robert,  Thomas, 
and  Mary.  His  executors  were  Robert  Wilson,  Sr.,  and 
his  son,  John  McFadden,  at  the  age  of  twenty  years,  Wil¬ 
liam  Orr,  and  Robert  Paisley,  and  Joseph  McKee. 


86 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


John  Gregg’s  will  was  proved  October  3,  1775.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife,  Eleanor;  his  sons,  James,  John,  Robert,  and 
William;  and  his  daughters,  Margaret,  Mary,  and  Janet. 
“It  is  my  desire  that  my  sons,  Robert  and  William,  and  my 
daughter,  Jannet,  be  learned  to  Read,  and  Right,  and 
Cypher  through  the  common  rules  of  Arithmetick.” 

Archibald  McKee’s  will  was  proved  October  3,  1776.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Elizabeth;  his  five  children,  Adam  and 
Joseph  McKee,  Martha  Cooper,  Jane  Miller,  and  Archi¬ 
bald  Knox,  and  his  two  sons-in-law,  William  Miller  and 
Samuel  Knox. 


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CHAPTER  IX. 


POLITICAL  AND  SOCIAL  MATTERS. 

It  is  probable  that  Williamsburg  lived  from  1735  to 
1745  as  nearly  within  itself  as  any  part  of  the  civilized 
world.  Its  citizens  had  been  made  sick  of  other  peoples, 
and  their  means  of  transportation  during  this  period  were 
nominal.  These  pioneers  cleared  enough  land  to  produce 
the  required  amount  of  corn  and  vegetables,  flax,  and  cot¬ 
ton  for  their  own  use.  Their  horses,  cattle,  hogs,  and 
sheep  grew  unattended  in  the  swamps. 

When  anything  was  needed  from  outside  markets,  these 
pioneers  drove  a  herd  of  cattle  to  Charleston,  or  sent  a 
consignment  of  deer  skins,  and  from  the  proceeds  secured 
the  required  supplies.  Rounding  up  cattle  and  horses  in 
cowpens  and  horsepens  taught  these  people  how  to  ride 
and  control  horses.  Further,  it  made  them  love  horses 
and  obtain  good  ones.  Hunting  deer  was  a  productive 
occupation.  Venision  is  excellent  food  and  deerskins  sold 
at  high  prices. 

Herdsmen  and  hunters  did  not  need  many  slaves.  No 
slaves  were  brought  in  1732  when  the  first  settlers  came, 
and  but  few  had  been  imported  up  to  1745.  Indeed,  the 
average  citizen  of  this  time  owned  not  more  than  five. 
John  Matthews  had  six;  Samuel  Montgomery,  two;  Wil¬ 
liam  James,  nine;  Joseph  Burgess,  four;  Roger  Gordon, 
five;  Richard  Middleton,  eleven;  Robert  McCottrv,  five; 
William  Pressley,  one;  John  Scott,  nine. 

The  Williamsburg  woman  of  this  pioneer  period  existed 
solely  for  the  use  of  her  husband.  Even  on  the  Church 
books  her  name  was  not  recorded,  and  she  had  no 
interests  outside  of  her  home.  Her  husband  held  her  at 
home  and  she  conformed  completely  to  his  habits  and  his 
will.  Sometimes  he  took  her  to  church,  and  once  or  twice 
each  year  he  carried  her  to  her  mother’s  home  for  a  few 


88 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


hours  visit.  She  never  left  home  unless  under  his  cautious 
care.  The  jealous  zeal  with  which  the  original  settler  in 
Williamsburg  guarded  his  wife  and  the  complete  dominion 
which  he  exercised  over  her  may  be  better  imagined  when 
it  is  known  how  the  exceptionally  conservative  man  of 
the  old  stock  now  in  the  County  regards  his  wife  and  how 
fully  he  believes  his  life  should  completely  circumscribe 
her  very  own. 

The  man  made  the  corn  and  hauled  it  to  his  barn ;  the 
woman  shucked  and  shelled  it,  ground  it  into  meal  and 
baked  it  into  bread.  The  man  killed  and  dressed  a  steer 
at  the  slaughter  pen;  the  woman  cured  and  cooked  the 
meat,  and  made  the  hide  into  breeches  for  her  husband, 
moccasins  for  her  children,  and  aprons  for  herself.  The 
man  sheared  the  sheep ;  the  woman  picked  the  burrs  from 
the  wool,  carded,  spun,  and  wove  in  into  cloth  from  which 
she  made  the  family  clothing. 

The  average  woman  of  this  time  married  about  fifteen 
years  old,  bore  her  husband  about  ten  children,  at  least 
half  of  whom  did  not  survive  infancy,  and  she  died  about 
thirty  years  of  age.  About  one  year  after  her  death,  her 
husband  married  another  fifteen  vear  old  girl.  Her  life 
was  similar  to  that  of  the  first  wife.  The  man  probably 
married  a  third  time.  The  average  man  of  Williamsburg 
of  seventy-five  years  of  age  had  probably  been  married 
three  times  and  had  fifteen  living  children  and  an  equal 
number  who  had  died  in  infancy.  The  average  colonial  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  man  married  young  and  kept  married  all  his 
life. 

Sometimes,  however,  a  woman  survived  the  strenuous 
life  of  the  day  and  showed  wonderful  virility.  Mary  Frier¬ 
son  was  born  in  Ireland  in  1701,  came  to  Williamsburg 
in  1735,  and  died  in  1791.  She  married  Thomas  Frierson 
when  she  was  very  young.  Her  youngest  child,  Mary 
Frierson,  afterwards  wife  of  John  Scott,  was  born  when 
her  mother  was  more  than  fifty  years  old. 


POLITICAL  AND  SOCIAL  MATTERS 


89 


Mary  Heathly  married  first  William  Brady  and  bore 
seven  children  to  him.  He  died  and  she  married  Thomas 
Witherspoon,  to  whom  she  bore  seven  children.  After¬ 
wards,  she  married  Thomas  McCrea  and  bore  three  chil¬ 
dren  to  him.  She  survived  her  husband,  Thomas  McCrea, 
but  did  not  marry  again. 

Janies  Witherspoon  was  married  five  times.  He  seems 
to  hold  the  record  in  old  Williamsburg,  although  there 
were  many  of  his  friends  who  were  married  four  times, 
according  to  the  records;  but  possibly  some  of  these  old 
fellows  omitted  recording  one  or  two  of  their  marriages. 

The  thing  a  fifteen  year  old  boy  of  1750  most  wanted 
was  the  finest  rifle  to  be  bought  in  the  world.  He  desired 
one  that  would  bring  a  squirrel  from  the  highest  cypress 
on  the  Santee  and  fell  a  deer  at  three  hundred  yards. 
His  father  wanted  the  finest  looking  and  fastest  running 
horse  in  the  colony.  Soon  after  the  cultivation  of  indigo 
was  begun,  this  father  and  son  became  more  concerned 
as  to  where  their  hearts’  desire  might  be  obtained  than 
about  the  price  they  would  have  to  pay.  Planters  on  the 
lower  Wee  Nee  and  the  Santee  allowed  their  rice  paddies 
to  fail  while  digging  and  cementing  indigo  vats.  All  the 
Williamsburg  country  cultivated  indigo  and  it  brought 
forth  an  hundred  fold. 

These  old  indigo  holes  may  yet  be  seen  in  all  parts  of 
the  present  County.  There  is  one  within  a  hundred  yards 
of  Sutton’s  Methodist  Church  and  is  plainly  visible  from 
the  Santee  road.  A  series  of  them  may  be  found  in 
George’s  field  on  Cedar  Swamp,  and  some  on  the  Flagler 
plantation  on  Finley  Bay.  These  indigo  vats  were  made 
by  digging  out  a  cavity  in  the  earth  and  plastering  this 
cavity  with  a  waterproof  composition  of  pitch  and  sand. 
The  story  goes  that  the  secret  of  this  composition  for 
lining  indigo  pits  came  with  African  slaves,  and  that  they 
so  jealously  guarded  it  that  their  masters  never  discovered 
it.  But  few  slaves  had  the  secret  and  could  successfully 


90 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


line  indigo  vats.  They  were  invaluable  to  their  masters. 
When  an  indigo  planter  discovered  that  he  had  a  slave 
possessing  this  valuable  secret,  he  immediately  made  that 
slave  the  prime  minister  of  the  plantation,  clothed  him 
in  purple  and  fine  linen,  and  caused  him  to  fare  sumptu¬ 
ously  every  day. 

Cattle  made  Williamsburg  substantial;  indigo  made  it 
rich. 

By  1765,  Williamsburg  citizens  were  far  removed  from 
want.  Nearly  all  of  them  had  a  considerable  surplus  and 
their  estates  grew  until  the  Revolution.  Wealth  brought 
no  specially  noticeable  change  in  their  manner  of  living. 
Cultivating  indigo  and  herding  cattle  did  not  require  much 
labor,  so  a  very  few  slaves  were  all  that  a  planter  could 
use.  Consequently,  nobody  in  the  District  ran  riot  ac¬ 
cumulating  negro  slaves.  Nobody  in  this  section  built 
a  colonial  mansion,  as  did  most  of  the  wealthy  men  in  many 
other  parts  of  the  country.  Nobody  in  Williamsburg  ever 
has  until  this  good  day  erected  such  an  “old  Southern 
home”  as  Henry  W.  Grady  remembered  and  described  in 
his  Boston  banquet  speech.  The  people  of  this  community 
have  elected  to  live  in  modest  comfortable  homes,  although 
man}^  of  them  might  have  erected  splendid  mansions.  Is 
it  that  the  crvptomnesic  content  of  forty  generations  of 
nomad  life  on  the  continent  and  a  thousand  years  of  war¬ 
ring  and  wandering  in  Ireland  and  Scotland  deter  them? 
Is  there  an  unconscious  vet  determining  instinct  in  them 
that  “something  might  happen  to  move  me  and  1  could 
not  carry  a  mansion  ?” 

Yet  no  people  on  earth  ever  had  a  deeper  land  love 
than  did  the  Colonial  Scotch-Irish  masters  of  plantations. 
Every  one  ruled  his  little  realm  as  absolutely  as  any 
ancient  monarch  attempted  in  his  sphere,  and  every  one 
knew  his  rights,  required  them,  and  respected  those  of 
his  neighbors.  This  same  idea  still  obtains  in  WTlliams- 


POLITICAL  AND  SOCIAL  MATTERS 


91 


burg.  “Woe  to  trespassers— all  others  welcome”  might 
well  be  graven  over  all  its  gates. 

Prior  to  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  no  person  coulcl 
teach  school  in  the  colony  unless  he  were  a  communicant 
of  the  Church  of  England  and  duly  licensed  by  the  Lord 
Bishop  of  London.  These  Presbyterians  in  Williamsburg 
at  that  time  had  much  rather  have  employed  the  Devil  to 
teach  their  children  than  a  member  of  the  Church  of 
England.  Consequently,  Colonial  Williamsburg  children 
were  taught  in  their  own  homes.  Remarkable  it  may  be, 
but  the  truth  is  the  average  man  and  woman  of  Williams¬ 
burg  in  1776,  although  born  and  reared  under  severe  pio¬ 
neer  conditions,  were  more  familiar  with  letters  that  at  any 
period  since  that  time.  Not  more  than  one  man  out  of  the 
first  one  hundred  wills  and  transfers  of  property  made  and 
recorded  between  1765  and  1775  had  to  make  his  mark,  nor 
did  a  greater  per  centum  of  women  releasing  rights  fail  to 
write  legibly  their  names.  Out  of  more  than  three  hun¬ 
dred  of  Marion’s  Men  from  Williamsburg  who  filed  their 
statements  for  pay,  only  six  made  their  marks  where  they 
should  have  signed  their  names.  Almost  every  one  of  these 
men  was  born  in  Williamsburg  later  than  1740.  The  old 
manuscripts  of  the  Colonial  period,  though  written  with 
goose  quill  pens  and  red  oak  ball  ink,  are  beautiful  in 
general  appearance  and  the  chirography  is  almost  per¬ 
fect. 

All  office  holders  in  the  colonial  period  were  required 
to  take  communion  according  to  the  ritual  of  the  Church 
of  England  and  from  the  hands  of  a  priest  of  the  Estab¬ 
lished  Church.  This  eliminated  nearly  all  of  the  indwell¬ 
ers  in  Williamsburg  from  official  duties,  for  no  Presby¬ 
terian  of  that  day  would  have  touched  the  elements  after 
blessed  by  a  priest  of  the  Established  Church  sooner  than 
he  would  have  torn  out  his  tongue.  Besides,  the  Scotch- 
Irisli  in  Williamsburg  desired  only  to  be  let  alone  and 
they  had  too  much  caution  to  enter  where  they  would  be 


92 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


disturbed.  Williamsburg  Township  was  entitled  to  two 
representatives  in  the  Colonial  Assembly  from  the  day  it 
was  surveyed  in  1736,  since  then  it  had  more  than  one 
hundred  heads  of  families,  yet  it  did  not  choose  to  exer¬ 
cise  this  right  until  the  war  drums  sounded. 

Prince  Frederick’s  Parish,  or  Williamsburg,  elected 
these  men  to  the  Provincial  Congress  of  August,  1775 : 
Thomas  Gilliard,  Jr.,  Thomas  Port,  Anthony  White,  Ben¬ 
jamin  Screven,  Archibald  McDonald,  John  James.  This 
Provincial  Congress,  on  March  26,  1776,  resolved  itself 
into  the  first  General  Assembly  of  the  State  of  South 
Carolina.  This  general  assembly  appointed  the  following 
as  Justices  of  the  Quorum  for  this  Parish:  Anthony 
Bonneau,  John  Brockinton,  Sr.,  Francis  Britton,  Ben¬ 
jamin  Gause,  Peter  Simons,  William  Wilson,  John  James, 
Thomas  Lynch,  James  McDonald,  William  Snow,  Anthony 
White,  Gavin  Witherspoon,  William  Michau,  Samuel 
Nesmith,  John  Plowden,  Benjamin  Screven,  and  John 
Witherspoon. 

The  legal  holidays  in  South  Carolina  for  many  years 
prior  to  the  Revolution  were  as  follows:  All  Sundays; 
Circumcision  Day,  January  1,  Martyrdom  of  Charles  I, 
January  30;  Good  Friday;  Monday  in  Easter  Week;  Tues¬ 
day  in  Easter  Week ;  King  George’s  birthday,  June  4 ;  Mon¬ 
day  in  Whitsuntide;  Tuesday  in  Whitsuntide;  Nativity  of 
Our  Lord,  or  Christmas,  December  25 ;  St.  Stephen’s  Day, 
December  26;  St.  John  Evangelist’s  Day,  December  27. 
These  were  all  fast  or  feast  days  of  the  Established  Church 
and  the  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  of  Williamsburg 
scorned  to  recognize  them  or  even  to  know  their  names. 

It  must  not  be  understood,  however,  that  Williamsburg 
observed  no  holidays.  The  fact  is  the  making  of  a  living 
was  then,  is  now,  and  ever  will  be  an  easy  matter  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg,  and  its  people  were  then  inclined  to  holidays. 
Once  every  two  months,  the  militia  companies  mustered. 
Twice  a  year,  the  militia  battalions  were  assembled.  Once 


POLITICAL  AND  SOCIAL  MATTERS 


93 


a  year,  the  Craven  County  Regiment  of  Militia  was  called 
together.  All  of  these  days  were  holidays  in  ascending  de¬ 
gree  of  intensity.  Every  man  essayed  his  utmost  to  make 
a  “perfect  day”  on  the  regimental  muster  ground. 

Besides  these  muster  occasion  holidays,  there  were  the 
midsummer  and  midwinter  racing  seasons.  Sometimes, 
these  lasted  for  many  days  before  all  were  satisfied.  At 
that  time  a  horse  provided  the  most  rapid  means  of  transit 
available.  No  colony  knew  more  the  value  of  good  horses 
than  did  Williamsburg,  nor  anywhere  was  the  racing  spirit 
more  rampant.  These  old  pioneers  introduced  the  best 
breed  of  horses  they  could  find  and  developed  some  fast 
racers.  All  the  section  gathered  to  witness  these  biennial 
races,  and  no  winners  ever  more  appreciated  a  victory. 
Owners  trained  and  rode  their  own  horses  and  the  keen¬ 
est  possible  rivalry  existed. 

These  races  were  not  Sunday  School  picnics,  nor  were 
they  religious  communion  occasions.  The  distillers  of 
North  Carolina  knew  well  the  dates  of  these  races  and 
always  kept  the  gentlemen  of  Williamsburg  well  supplied 
with  old,  ropy  corn  whiskey,  and  rich,  ripe  apple  brandy. 

Sometimes  a  Puritan  minister  would  preach  about  these 
ungodly  races  and  say  all  manner  of  evil  things  about 
them.  Who  can  say  that  such  a  one  was  declaring  the  way 
of  God  to  man?  Grant  it  that  John  James  always  parti¬ 
cipated  in  these  races,  sometimes  swore  a  combination  of 
Scotch  and  Welsh  oaths,  and  occasionally  drank  himself 
into  dreamland  before  the  night  came — was  it  not  he  who 
rode  from  Georgetown  to  the  King’s  Tree  on  “Thunder” 
and  called  all  Williamsburg  to  “Liberty  or  Death?”  And 
could  Mouzon  and  Macaulay  and  McCottry  and  McDonald 
and  Witherspoon  and  Scott  and  their  Selim  and  Saladdin 
and  Mecca  and  Medina  and  Bucephalus  and  Buddha  have 
come  out  of  other  times  and  things  than  these? 


CHAPTER  X. 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION. 

I  hear  the  drums  of  War’s  alarum  beat, 

I  see  them  seize  their  arms,  rise  to  their  feet, 

Their  enemies — and  Liberty’s — to  meet ! 

Roselle  Mercier  Montgomery. 

Williamsburg  was  peaceful  and  happy  in  1775.  Its 
doors  were  never  locked  and  its  windows  were  never 
barred.  Its  cornfields  produced  abundantly  and  its  mead¬ 
ows  were  overflowing  with  cattle.  Indigo  ran  riot  so 
that  cleared  acres  could  not  contain  it.  Tobacco  and  flax 
flourished  wherever  their  seeds  were  sown.  Roses 
bloomed  and  geraniums  grew  about  the  doorways.  Morn¬ 
ing  suns  came  fresh  out  of  the  sea  and  evening  showers 
brought  peace  to  the  troubled  sands. 

Williamsburg  had  not  been  disturbed  bv  outsiders  for 
half  a  century.  It  had  been  left  alone  to  work  out  its  own 
political  and  social  and  religious  salvation.  And  it  had 
accomplished  that  for  which  it  had  come.  It  had  builded 
its  foundation  on  the  Rock  of  Ages  and  its  dreams  were 
continuously  coming  true. 

The  “Mother  Country”  had  been  good  to  Williamsburg. 
It  required  in  theory  that  this  Township  coniform  to  the 
Established  Church,  but  in  fact  it  permitted  Presbyteri¬ 
anism  to  rule  this  little  realm.  No  meddling  colonial 
officers  came  this  way  and  the  Stamp  Act  was  but  a  name. 
Williamsburg  produced  its  own  tea  and  a  surplus.  It  had 
no  use  for  commercial  papers  that  were  taxed.  The  only 
people  who  came  not  to  stay  were  traders  from  North 
Carolina  and  from  Georgetown  and  Charleston.  These 
traders  bought  Williamsburg  cattle  and  indigo  and  sold 
tape  and  buttons.  Williamsburg  fixed  the  prices.  Traders 
are  the  practical  diplomats  of  the  ages — the  promoters  of 
good  feeling — the  unifiers  of  peoples. 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


95 


The  people  of  Williamsburg  heard  about  the  Edenton 
Tea  Party,  where  fifty-two  colonial  dames  had  gathered  in 
the  home  of  Mrs.  Thomas  Barker  and  signed  a  solomn 
agreement  to  use  no  more  tea  so  long  as  it  was  taxed  by 
London  authority.  They  knew  something  of  the  Boston 
Tea  Party  where  a  number  of  men,  disguised  as  Indians, 
boarded  a  ship  in  the  harbor  and  threw  all  of  its  cargo 
of  stamped  tea  into  the  depths  of  the  sea.  Charleston 
and  Georgetown  business  men  had  told  these  planters  how 
burdensome  the  stamp  taxes  were  and  how  the  Tory  party 
in  England  had  the  ascendency  and  was  trying  to  force 
upon  the  American  colonies  such  a  policy  as  Spain  had 
practiced.  Williamsburg  knew  that  Lord  North  and 
others  had  swung  the  pendulum  as  far  as  possible  from 
William  Pitt. 

These  things  made  Williamsburg  think  seriously.  It 
was  happy.  Reason  revolted  from  breaking  the  longest 
and  most  beautiful  peace  that  these  Scotcli-Irish  had 
known.  One  summer  day  in  1776,  young  Thomas  Lynch 
came  from  Philadelphia  to  his  plantation  home  on  Lynch’s 
River,  and  told  Williamsburg  that  he  had,  with  some 
other  South  Carolinians,  signed  the  Declaration  of  Inde¬ 
pendence  on  July  Fourth,  and  that  the  thirteen  colonies 
were  at  war  with  Great  Britain. 

A  youth  in  whose  veins  there  runs  the  blood  of  a  hun¬ 
dred  generations  of  men  of  war  and  into  whose  ears  a 
thousand  times  have  been  poured  tales  of  the  valor  and  the 
heroism  of  his  fathers  does  not  hesitate  when  he  hears  the 
war  drums.  No  wonder  the  Montgomerys  and  Nesmiths, 
Gordons  and  Gambles,  McDonalds  and  McCottrys,  Scotts 
and  James,  the  Witherspoons  and  Wilsons  sniffed  the 
noise  of  battle  from  afar  and  volunteered  for  service  in 
the  first  South  Carolina  troops.  From  these  young  men, 
Williamsburg  sent  as  many  in  the  beginning  as  the  colony 
desired  from  the  district.  These  men  showed  the  fighting 
force  of  their  fathers.  Captain  John  Janies  was  cited  for 


96 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


valor  and  conspicuous  ability  in  the  skirmish  of  Tulifinny 
Bridge. 

After  Charleston  had  fallen  on  May  12,  1780,  the  citi¬ 
zens  of  Williamsburg,  many  of  whose  sons  had  served  in 
the  seige  of  that  city,  decided  that  “something  must  be 
done.”  That  was  the  darkest  day  of  the  Revolution  in 
South  Carolina,  One  who  knows  and  understands  the 
Williamsburg  people  of  1780  can  see  these  Scotch-Irish 
discussing  the  situation.  There  were  no  mass  meetings  held 
at  the  King’s  Tree,  no  brass  bands  playing  martial  music, 
no  eloquent  orators  sounding  striking  climaxes,  no  rais¬ 
ing  of  liberty  poles,  and  nothing  of  the  spectacular.  No 
fiery  cross  summoned  the  clans  to  council,  but  somehow 
every  Scotchman  determined  on  “liberty  or  death.” 

John  James  just  before  that  time  had  been  sent  from 
Charleston  to  Williamsburg  to  organize  the  district  into 
a  fighting  force.  He  knew  the  people  of  Williamsburg  and 
the  people  of  Williamsburg  knew  him.  Quietly  and  without 
the  waving  of  banners,  he  went  to  the  several  clan  leaders  in 
Williamsburg  and  told  them  in  low  tones  that  “something 
must  be  done,”  and  every  clan  leader  repeated  the  state¬ 
ment  John  James  had  made  to  every  member  of  his  clan 
personally  and  individually,  and  every  member  of  every 
clan  repeated  the  statement,  “something  must  be  done.” 
For  some  time,  men  and  women  of  Williamsburg  looked 
seriously  into  each  others’  faces  and  said  but  little.  They 
decided  to  send  Captain  John  James  to  interview  the  Brit¬ 
ish  commander  at  Georgetown,  and  to  ascertain  just  what 
would  be  expected  of  the  people  of  Williamsburg.  Their 
sons  had  been  paroled  after  the  fall  of  Charleston  and  their 
status  was  not  clearly  understood. 

When  Captain  James  referred  to  the  people  “whom  I 
represent,”  the  British  Commander  shouted,  “I  shall  re¬ 
quire  unqualified  submission  from  them;  and,  as  for  you, 
I  shall  have  you  hanged.”  The  Britisher  drew  his  sword, 
which  Captain  James  parried  with  a  chair.  In  a  moment, 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


97 


Captain  James  had  escaped  and  mounted  “Thunder,” 
and  that  celebrated  war  horse  was  moving  towards  Wil¬ 
liamsburg.  Here  is  where  the  historian  calls  the  poet. 
But  even  the  historian  must  see  that  coal  black  charger, 
outside  the  house  of  that  interview,  unhitched,  the  reins 
falling  separate  to  the  ground,  there  standing  alert  and 
understanding  his  master;  the  strained  nervousness  and 
assembling  strength  of  that  thoroughbred  as  he  saw  his 
master  hurriedly  approaching;  the  furious  power  he  felt 
with  his  master’s  mounting ;  and  his  haughty  scorn  of  dis¬ 
tance.  Here  were  a  man  and  a  horse  that  Williamsburg 
had  produced.  They  were  both  necessary. 

Captain  John  James  reached  the  King’s  Tree  that  night. 
He  told  his  story  to  John  and  Joseph  Scott  and  William 
Frierson  and  David  Witherspoon.  John  Scott  saddled  his 
horse  and  went  to  Pudding  Swamp  and  told  the  story  to 
Henry  Mouzon ;  Joseph  Scott,  to  Cedar  Swamp  and  advised 
Robert  McCottry ;  William  Frierson,  to  Thorntree  Swamp 
and  informed  John  Macauley;  and  David  Witherspoon  to 
Lynch’s  Lake  and  notified  John  James,  Jr.  Captain 
John  James  remained  at  the  King’s  Tree  and  rested  the 
following  day. 

The  third  day  the  Ervins,  Scotts,  Burgess’,  Dickeys, 
Friersons,  Nelsons,  McClarys,  Montgomerys,  and  Camp¬ 
bells  came  with  Henry  Mouzon  and  elected  him  Captain 
of  the  King’s  Tree  Company;  from  South  of  Black  River, 
the  Gambles,  McGills,  Friersons,  Watsons,  Boyds,  Gordons, 
and  Witherspoons  chose  John  Macauley  Captain;  from 
Lynch’s  Lake,  the  James’,  McBrides,  McCallisters,  Mat¬ 
thews’,  Haseldons,  McFaddens,  and  Rodgers  called  John 
James,  Jr.,  to  command  them;  and  from  Cedar  Swamp 
and  Black  Mingo,  the  McCants’,  McConnells,  McCulloughs, 
McKnights,  McCreas,  McCutchens,  and  Nesmiths,  made 
Robert  McCottry  Captain.  These  four  companies  assem¬ 
bled  at  the  King’s  Tree,  formed  a  battalion,  and  elected 


98 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


John  James  Major.  This  battalion  became  the  nucleus 
of  Marion’s  Brigade. 

Williamsburg  began  again  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
when  it  organized  James’  battalion.  This  district  dedi¬ 
cated  all  its  strength  to  the  cause  of  Liberty.  There  were 
only  three  hundred  men  in  Janies’  battalion.  There  were 
a  thousand  between  the  ages  of  sixteen  and  and  sixty 
who  were  alert  and  strong  and  who  begged  for  service. 
And  there  were  a  thousand  women  in  Williamsburg  who 
had  the  capacity  and  the  will  to  sustain  these  thousand 
men  in  the  field.  Everybody  saw  the  possibility  for  the 
future  Brigade.  There  were  hundreds  outside  of  Williams¬ 
burg  who  would  join  the  Brigade.  The  leader  was  the 
thing  for  which  they  looked. 

Major  James  and  Captain  Mouzon  knew  Lieutenant 
Colonel  Francis  Marion.  They  had  been  close  to  him 
under  fire.  Many  others  of  James’  battalion  knew  him. 
He  did  not  talk  very  much.  He  did  things.  Williams¬ 
burg  called  Francis  Marion  to  command  and  he  came.  He 
was  a  French  Huguenot  by  descent.  So  was  Captain  Mou¬ 
zon. 

Scotch  clan  leaders  have  an  uncanny  control  over  their 
clansmen.  A  McDonald  will  follow  a  McDonald  to  the 
ends  of  the  earth ;  a  Campbell  will  help  a  Campbell  swim 
a  lake  of  fire.  But,  place  the  McDonalds  and  the  Campbells 
under  either  a  Campbell  or  a  McDonald,  and  soon  they 
forget  the  common  enemy  and  fight  each  other.  Nobody 
knew  this  better  than  Major  James.  His  knowledge  of 
Scotch  character  made  him  suggest  Francis  Marion  to 
Williamsburg.  No  man  ever  commanded  several  Scotch 
companies  with  greater  success  than  did  this  asilent  man.” 

General  Marion  took  command  of  this  Williamsburg 
Battalion  on  Lynch’s  Creek.  There  was  nothing  of  the 
spectacular  in  his  assuming  command.  When  it  is  real¬ 
ized  that  he  was  of  Latin  blood  and  was  a  trained  soldier 
accustomed  to  command,  it  may  seem  strange  that  no 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


99 


formalities  were  observed, — no  roll  of  drums,  no  present¬ 
ing  of  arms.  These  four  companies  were  resting  under 
some  oaks  on  the  side  of  a  swamp  close  by  the  river  when 
he  came. 


William  James,  then  fifteen  vears  old  and  a  soldier, 
who  afterwards  became  Judge  James,  the  Historian,  was 
an  eyewitness.  He  says,  “The  officers  and  men  flocked 
about  General  Marion  to  obtain  a  sight  of  their  future 
commander,  who  was  rather  of  bold  and  middle  stature, 
lean  and  swarthy.  His  body  was  well  set,  but  his  knees 
and  ankles  were  badly  formed,  and  he  still  limped  upon 
one  leg.  He  had  a  countenance  remarkably  steady;  his 
nose  was  aquiline,  his  chin  projecting;  his  forehead,  large 


and  high ;  he  was  then  forty-eight  years  old,  with  a  frame 
capable  of  enduring  fatigue  and  every  privation.  Pie  was 
dressed  in  a  close  round-bodied  crimson  jacket  of  a  coarse 
texture  and  wore  a  leather  cap,  part  of  the  uniform  of  the 
Second  Regiment,  with  a  silver  crescent  in  front  inscribed 
with  the  words,  ‘Liberty  or  Death!  ”  General  Marion 
knew  the  minds  of  the  men  before  him,  was  in  perfect 
harmony  with  their  purposes,  took  the  position  which  they 
had  assigned  to  him;  and,  from  that  moment  until  the 
end  in  view  had  been  accomplished,  commanded  their  high¬ 
est  respect,  enjoyed  their  supreme  confidence,  and  directed 
them  to  utmost  endeavor. 

Weems  says  that  when  Marion  took  command  he  formed 
the  men  into  a  circle  and  swore  them  upon  their  swords 
never  to  yield  until  the  liberty  of  their  country  had  been 
accomplished,  but  neither  James  nor  Horry  describes  the 
event  in  such  a  manner,  nor  would  Marion  have  instigated 
such  a  spectacle  in  the  presence  of  those  Scotch-Irish  whom 
he  knew.  Marion  secured  and  held  the  faith  of  his  com¬ 
mand  by  simple,  prudent,  and  severe  action  and  conduct. 
While  he  was  exceedingly  daring  in  the  exercise  of  many 
of  his  activities,  the  security  of  his  forces  seemed  always 
his  first  consideration.  His  ability  to  strike  the  enemy 


100 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


a  hard  blow  with  the  minimum  loss  to  himself  soon  gave 
his  command  a  wondrous  faith  in  him. 

Marion  had  from  the  beginning  a  remarkable  faculty 
for  securing  information.  Probably  his  spy  system  has 
never  been  improved.  The  women  of  the  district  were 
his  dependable  aids  in  all  things  but  especially  in  furnish¬ 
ing  him  information.  Many  of  the  women  of  the  dis¬ 
trict  at  this  time  could  ride  horses  as  well  as  their  brothers. 
They  looked  to  Marion  for  protection  and  they  gave  him 
all  they  could.  General  Marion  made  his  headquarters 
on  Snow’s  Island.  From  that  point,  he  conducted  his  cam¬ 
paigns  throughout  eastern  Carolina.  It  has  been  said 
of  him  that  he  was  never  beaten,  never  surprised,  and  it 
does  not  appear  that  he  ever  made  a  serious  military  mis¬ 
take. 

After  Charleston  had  fallen  into  the  hands  of  the 
British,  Lord  Cornwallis  marched  with  about  twenty-five 
hundred  men  and  five  pieces  of  artillery  from  Charleston  by 
way  of  Lenud’s  Ferry  to  Camden.  At  Lenud’s  Ferry,  his 
army  was  met  by  the  American  troops  under  Colonels 
White,  Washington,  and  Jamison,  and  engaged  in  a  severe 
battle.  The  Americans  lost  five  officers  and  thirty-six  men, 
killed;  and  seven  officers  and  sixty  men,  all  the  horses, 
arms,  and  accoutrements,  captured.  The  three  American 
colonels  escaped  by  swimming.  The  British  lost  two  dra¬ 
goons  and  twenty-four  horses.  This  was  a  complete  vic¬ 
tory  for  the  British. 

Cornwallis  led  his  army  westward  along  the  Santee 
River  road  by  Murray’s  Ferry  and  St.  Mark’s  Church 
toward  Camden.  Tarleton  separated  from  the  main  army 
at  Lenud’s  Ferry  and  went  to  Georgetown,  taking  with  him 
the  Legion  and  a  detachment  of  the  Seventeenth  Dragoons, 
“to  take  prisoners  of  all  violent  enemies  of  the  British 
Government  and  to  receive  the  allegiance  of  others.”  Corn¬ 
wallis  encountered  no  resistance  on  this  journey  along  the 
Santee. 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


101 


Tarleton  remained  in  Georgetown  about  six  weeks,  dur¬ 
ing  which  time  he  suffered  a  severe  attack  of  fever.  On 
August  1,  he  led  a  cavalry  command  from  Georgetown  to 
Lenud’s  Ferry  and  thence  to  Black  River  where  he 
crossed  at  the  Lower  Bridge.  His  command  reached 
the  King’s  Tree  on  August  6,  and  pitched  camp  on  the 
parade  ground  where  the  County  Court  House  now 
stands.  Major  James,  who  was  then  at  Witherspoon’s 
Ferry  on  Lynch’s  Creek  with  his  command,  learned  of 
Tarleton’s  progress  in  the  district  and  advanced  to  meet 
him.  That  afternoon  Tarleton  learned  that  Major  James’ 
Battalion,  with  McCottry’s  riflemen  as  advance  guard,  was 
approaching  the  King’s  Tree,  whereupon  Tarleton  immedi¬ 
ately  decamped  and  proceeded  toward  Camden.  Mc¬ 
Cottry’s  men  arrived  a  few  hours  later. 

Tarleton  took  with  him  on  that  evening  as  prisoners  of 
was  several  men  from  the  King’s  Tree,  among  whom  was 
Samuel  McGill.  That  night  he  burned  the  mansion  house 
and  fourteen  buildings  of  the  messuage  of  Captain 
Henry  Monzon,  about  eight  miles  from  the  King’s  Tree. 
This  was  the  first  dwelling  house  burned  by  the  British  in 
Williamsburg.  When  Tarleton  reached  Salem,  he  dis¬ 
guised  himself  as  an  American  officer  and  went  to  the 
home  of  James  Bradley,  a  former  citizen  of  Williamsburg, 
and  passed  himself  off  as  Colonel  Washington.  Mr.  Brad¬ 
ley  was  expecting  Colonel  Washington  and  was  deceived 
by  Tarleton.  Tarleton  persuaded  him  to  lead  him  across 
the  swamps  of  Black  River,  when  he  threw  off  his  disguise 
and  made  his  aged  guide  a  prisoner. 

Colonel  Tarleton  was  sent  on  this  campaign  through 
Williamsburg,  as  he  admits,  “to  punish  the  inhabitants 
in  that  quarter  for  their  late  breaches  of  parole  and  per¬ 
fidious  revolt.”  The  breaches  of  parole  to  which  he  refers 
came  about  in  this  way.  There  were  some  of  the  soldiers 
of  Williamsburg  taken  by  the  British  at  the  fall  of  Charles¬ 
ton.  Among  them  were  John  James,  Jr.,  John  Watson, 


102 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  Isaac  Matthews.  These  Williamsburg  soldiers  taken 
at  Charleston  were  paroled  on  condition  that  they  would 
no  longer  carry  arms  against  the  British  Government. 
Afterwards,  all  Williamsburg  was  ordered  by  the  British 
to  enlist  in  the  British  army  for  the  suppression  of  the 
American  cause.  This  order,  emanating  from  British  au¬ 
thorities  to  the  men  of  Williamsburg,  who  had  been  pa¬ 
roled,  they  rightly  regarded  as  relieving  them  from  their 
parole;  and,  after  Major  James’  interview  with  Captain 
Ardesoif  at  Georgetown,  practically  all  of  Williamsburg 
enlisted  in  the  American  cause.  The  names  of  only  three 
Tories  of  Williamsburg  are  now  known.  They  were  Captain 
John  Brockinton,  Major  John  Hamilton,  and  Major  Wil¬ 
liam  Sabb,  all  three  of  them  merchants. 

Colonel  Tarleton  was  a  typical  English  Cavalier  of 
his  time.  He  was  a  game  fighter,  chivalrous  in  his  treat¬ 
ment  of  women,  and  apologetic  in  the  severities  which 
orders  required  him  to  practice  upon  the  people  of  this 
section.  The  fact  is  the  only  house  which  he  burned  in 
Williamsburg  County  was  that  of  Captain  Henry  Mouzon. 
Tarleton  knew  Captain  Mouzon  was  one  of  the  leading 
spirits  and  the  ablest  exponents  of  the  American  idea 
in  Williamsburg  and  was,  at  that  very  time,  engaged  in 
severe  warfare  against  the  British.  Furthermore,  Colonel 
Tarleton  had  an  abiding  hatred  for  France,  growing  out  of 
the  series  of  wars  between  England  and  France  that  had 
recently  ended  and  from  the  French  aid  then  being  given 
the  American  colonies  by  Lafayette  and  others.  Colonel 
Tarleton  knew  Captain  Mouzon  was  of  French  descent, 
spoke  the  French  language,  and  hated  the  English  as  earn¬ 
estly  as  he  himself  hated  the  French. 

Colonel  Tarleton  took  Samuel  McGill  as  a  prisoner  of 
war  from  Kingstree  to  Camden,  and  held  him  there  in 
irons  for  some  time.  It  is  possible  that  the  only  way  that 
Tarleton  could  have  held  Samuel  McGill  was  to  have  put 
him  in  irons.  For,  Samuel  McGill  was  about  forty  years 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


103 


old  at  that  time  and  was  a  real  man.  He  had  in  him  all 
the  daring  of  his  wild  Welsh,  the  craftiness  of  his  Scotch, 
the  magnetism  of  the  Irish,  and  the  perseverance  of  his 
English  ancestors. 

While  Colonel  Tarleton  was  encamped  on  the  Wither¬ 
spoon  plantation  below  the  King’s  Tree,  there  were  a  num¬ 
ber  of  the  Williamsburg  young  women  within  his  lines. 
Record  and  tradition  indicate  that  Tarleton  and  his  officers 
accepted  with  becoming  grace  the  frequent  sallies  of  sharp¬ 
ness  coming  from  the  tongues  of  their  fair,  spirited  cap¬ 
tives,  and  were  as  gracious  to  them  as  conditions  permitted. 

The  war  path  of  the  British  from  Camden  to  Charleston 
at  that  time  was  by  way  of  Nelson’s  Ferry  on  the  Santee 
River.  Unconquered  Williamsburg  lay  dangerously  near 
to  this  warpath,  less  than  ten  miles  in  many  places,  and 
it  was  very  important  from  a  military  standpoint  to  the 
British  that  they  should  crush  this  Williamsburg  spirit. 
The  British  first  sent  Tarleton  through  Williamsburg,  but 
Tarleton  was  too  chivalrous  a  foe  to  do  the  destructive 
work  the  British  authorities  deemed  necessary,  so,  a  few 
days  later,  Lord  Cornwallis  sent  Major  Wemyss  through 
Williamsburg  to  do  the  work  that  Tarleton  had  left  un¬ 
done. 

Major  Wemyss  crossed  Black  River  on  the  west  side  at 
Benbow’s  Ferry  on  the  western  boundary  of  Williamsburg 
August  20,  1780,  and  destroyed  all  the  dwelling  houses, 
cattle,  and  sheep  in  that  community.  He  burned  the  homes 
of  John  Gamble,  Major  James  Conyers,  James  Davis,  Cap¬ 
tain  John  Nelson,  Robert  Frierson,  John  Frierson,  Robert 
Gamble,  and  others.  The  Reverend  James  A.  Wallace  says 
that,  “Wemyss  laid  waste  a  tract  of  country  between 
Black  River  and  the  Pee  Dee,  seventy  miles  in  length  and 
in  some  places  fifteen  miles  wide.” 

Major  Wemyss  proceeded  without  hindrance  on  his  way 
of  destruction  from  Benbow’s  Ferry  to  the  King’s  Tree. 
Just  about  the  time  he  arrived  at  the  King’s  Tree  on 


104 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


August  27,  1780,  Major  James  met  him  and  killed  fifteen 
of  his  men  and  took  a  number  of  prisoners.  Major  James 
lost  thirty  men  in  this  action.  It  was  a  sharp,  severe  con¬ 
flict  for  a  few  minutes,  after  which  Wemyss  withdrew 
and  hurried  on  the  Indiantown  road  to  Georgetown. 
Major  James’  forces  were  constantly  attacking  him  from 
the  rear.  It  was  on  this  campaign  through  Williamsburg 
that  Wemyss  burned  the  Indiantown  Church  and  the  home 
of  Major  James. 

In  August,  1780,  Marion’s  Brigade  was  the  only  body  of 
American  troops  in  South  Carolina.  The  Continental 
forces  had  all  been  dispersed  or  captured;  the  Virginia 
and  North  Carolina  Militia  in  this  State  had  been  scat¬ 
tered  and  disorganized,  and  Sumter’s  Legion  had  been 
destroyed  by  Tarleton.  The  British  had  a  strong  garri¬ 
son  at  Georgetown  and  one  at  Camden.  Williamsburg 
and  Francis  Marion  alone  and  unconquered  stood  in  the 
way  of  complete  domination  in  South  Carolina.  The 
Georgetown  and  Camden  road  by  way  of  Black  Mingo  to 
Kingstree  ran  through  the  heart  of  Williamsburg.  The 
British  planned  to  establish  a  chain  of  strongholds  along 
this  way  from  Georgetown  to  Camden,  to  fortify  these 
points,  and  to  keep  them  strongly  garrisoned  with  men  and 
full  of  supplies  and  munitions  of  war. 

The  first  one  of  these  strongholds  along  this  road,  which 
the  British  strategists  had  planned,  was  about  twenty 
miles  on  the  way  from  Georgetown  to  Kingstree  on  Black 
Mingo  Creek.  The  British  under  Colonel  Elias  Ball  pro¬ 
ceeded  up  Black  River  and  a  short  distance  up  the  Black 
Mingo  to  Patrick  Dollard’s  Inn,  known  as  the  Red  House, 
just  South  of  Shepherd’s  Ferry.  The  British  made  this 
Red  House  headquarters,  and  from  this  point  they  dug 
communicating  trenches  to  the  Black  Mingo,  along  the 
banks  of  which  they  entrenched  for  about  a  mile  so  as 
to  command  this  navigable  stream  for  such  distance. 
From  the  point  at  the  Red  House,  the  two  trenches  com- 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


105 


municating  with  the  stream  formed  an  angle  of  about 
sixty  degrees.  These  trenches  are  yet  discernible  along 
the  banks  of  the  River  and  were  visible  to  the  point  where 
they  converged  at  the  Red  House  until  about  thirty  years 
ago,  when  they  were  filled  for  the  purpose  of  making  the 
land  available  for  corn  fields.  The  British  expected  to 
complete  this  chain  of  fortifications  through  Williamsburg. 
They  did  considerable  work  on  this  stronghold  at  Black 
Mingo  and  placed  a  large  body  of  troops  there. 

Marion  knew  all  about  this  British  plan  and  this  fort 
on  Black  Mingo.  He  was  then  at  his  headquarters  on 
Snow’s  Island.  On  the  14th  of  September,  1780,  he  col¬ 
lected  his  troops  and  proceeded  in  the  night  southwestward 
from  Snow’s  Island  to  Willtown,  the  only  place  he  could 
cross  Black  Mingo  in  that  vicinity,  except  at  Shepherd’s 
Ferry,  too  near  the  British  stronghold.  Marion  crossed 
the  bridge  over  Black  Mingo  at  Willtown  in  the  night,  and 
the  noise  his  cavalry  made  in  crossing  warned  the  British 
at  the  Red  House  and  they  came  out  to  meet  him.  A 
sharp  engagement  ensued  in  which  seventy-one  patriots 
under  Marion  were  killed  and  seventy-four  of  the  British, 
including  Colonel  Ball,  the  commander  of  the  garrison. 
Half  of  the  soldiers  under  Marion  and  half  of  the  British 
were  probably  wounded  within  a  few  hours.  At  daybreak, 
the  British  retreated  into  their  stronghold  and  there  re¬ 
mained.  General  Marion  held  his  ground  and  kept  up 
almost  a  continuous  firing  on  the  entrenched  British  for 
two  days,  when  they  embarked  in  their  boats  and  proceeded 
to  Georgetown,  taking  away  their  wounded  but  leaving 
their  dead. 

General  Marion  buried  his  seventy-one  dead  in  the  field 
on  the  left  hand  side  of  the  road  about  five  hundred 
yards  going  South  from  Shepherd’s  Ferry.  He  interred 
the  British  dead  at  the  Red  House  about  one  mile  further 
South  on  the  same  side  of  the  same  road.  This  battle  of 
Black  Mingo  resulted  in  the  abandonment  of  the  British 


106 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


plans  for  building  a  chain  of  forts  through  Williamsburg 
and  was  a  turning  point  of  the  Revolutionary  War  in  the 
South. 

Captain  Mouzon’s  and  Captain  James’  companies  from 
Williamsburg  suffered  most  severely  in  this  battle.  Cap¬ 
tain  Mouzon’s  company  was  almost  wiped  out.  Captain 
Mouzon  and  Lieutenant  Joseph  Scott  were  both  so  severely 
wounded  that  they  were  rendered  useless  for  further  mili¬ 
tary  service  in  the  War  and  made  cripples  for  life. 

It  is  strange  that  there  is  no  monument  on  this  Black 
Mingo  battlefield.  It  is  stranger  still  that  years  ago  some¬ 
body  was  permitted  to  move  away  for  building  chimneys 
to  cabins  the  brick  which  had  walled  in  the  spot  where 
the  seventy-one  of  Marion’s  valiant  dead  were  buried. 

The  Historian  Simms  thinks  that  Marion  was  in  error  in 
permitting  his  troopers  to  make  so  much  noise  in  passing 
over  the  Black  Mingo  Bridge  that  the  British  at  the  Red 
House  knew  of  his  coming.  Simms  says  Marion  learned 
a  lesson  from  this  and  henceforth  whenever  he  crossed  a 
bridge  with  cavalry  his  troopers  covered  the  bridge  with 
their  saddle  blankets  so  that  the  horses  might  pass  over 
without  making  noise. 

With  due  deference  to  Simms,  it  would  seem  that  the 
noise  which  Marion’s  horses  made  in  crossing  the  bridge 
was  just  exactly  what  the  “ Swamp  Fox”  desired.  General 
Marion  knew  that  the  number  of  the  British  under  Colonel 
Ball  at  the  Red  House  equalled  his  own  of  Americans,  and 
certainly  Marion  preferred  attacking  these  British  in  the 
open  and  about  the  swamps  to  besieging  them  in  a  strong¬ 
hold.  Marion’s  force  of  cavalry  and  riflemen  would  have 
stood  little  show  against  these  British  in  their  trenches 
with  their  excellent  artillery.  Colonel  Ball  would  not  have 
led  his  forces  out  in  the  open  if  he  had  known  the  strength 
of  Marion’s  command.  Colonel  Ball  attempted  by  scat¬ 
tering  his  forces  to  surround  Marion  and  capture  him, 
since  the  capture  of  General  Marion  was  the  one  thing 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


107 


the  British  forces  desired.  This  fighting  of  small  detach¬ 
ments  of  troops  in  the  swamps  was  Marion’s  strongest 
point.  For,  like  Brer  Rabbit,  who  was  “born  and  bred 
in  the  briar  patch,”  so  Marion’s  men  were  born  and  bred 
in  the  swamps. 

Late  in  September,  1780,  Marion  left  Snow’s  Island  and 
proceeded  up  Lynch’s  Creek  for  the  purpose  of  driving  out 
the  British  and  the  Tories  under  Colonel  Harrison,  who 
were  threatening  Williamsburg.  While  on  his  way,  Gen¬ 
eral  Marion  learned  that  Colonel  Tyrnes  was  at  Tarcote, 
in  the  forks  of  Black  River,  where  he  had  collected  large 
supplies  of  provisions  and  war  material.  Marion’s  forces 
were  sorely  in  need  of  rifles,  powder,  and  balls,  and  cloth¬ 
ing,  and  Tyrnes  was  stirring  up  much  trouble  in  the  Black 
River  vicinity.  General  Marion  camped  near  where  the 
town  of  Cades  now  stands  while  he  was  on  his  way  to 
Tarcote.  His  camping  there  gave  the  name  “Camp  Branch” 
to  that  vicinity  for  a  hundred  years.  From  that  point, 
General  Marion  proceeded  on  his  way  to  Tarcote,  crossing 
the  lower  ford  on  the  North  branch  of  Black  River  at 
Nelson’s  plantation,  and  came  upon  the  camp  of  Tyrnes 
at  midnight.  Tyrnes  and  his  Tories  were  enjoying  them¬ 
selves.  Some  of  them  were  sleeping,  others  were  eating 
and  drinking,  and  others  were  playing  cards,  but  none  of 
them  were  looking  for  the  “Swamp  Fox.”  Marion  fell  upon 
them  immediately,  killing  twenty-six,  capturing  Tyrnes 
and  two  of  his  officers,  and  many  of  his  men,  without 
resistance  on  their  part.  Most  of  the  Tories  escaped  in 
the  swamp  and  never  reassembled.  General  Marion  se¬ 
cured  many  valuable  supplies  and  was  enabled  from  them 
to  outfit  his  entire  brigade. 

A  little  later  than  this,  Tarleton,  with  a  very  superior 
force,  attempted  to  capture  Marion,  while  on  the  South 
branch  of  Black  River.  The  story  goes  that  Tarleton  fol¬ 
lowed  up  Marion  for  many  miles  until  the  Britisher  reached 
Ox  Swamp.  Looking  over  the  way  that  Marion  had  gone, 


108 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


this  miry  waste,  he  exclamed  to  his  Legion.  “Come,  my 
Boys!  Let  us  go  back.  We  will  soon  find  the  Game  Cock, 
(meaning  Sumter)  but  as  for  this  ‘ Swamp  Fox’,  the  Devil 
himself  could  not  catch  him.”  It  was  from  this  expression 
that  General  Marion  became  known  as  the  “Swamp  Fox.” 

Another  invasion  of  Williamsburg  was  attempted  in 
1781  when  Lord  Rawdon  undertook  to  crush  Marion  in  his 
rendezvous  on  Snow’s  Island.  It  was  planned  that  Colonel 
Watson  with  a  British  Regiment  and  a  large  body  of  Loyal¬ 
ists  should  proceed  from  Fort  Watson  down  the  Santee 
and  thence  through  Williamsburg,  reach  Snow’s  Island 
about  the  time  that  another  British  Regiment  and  a  band 
of  Tories  under  Colonel  Doyle,  which  was  directed  to 
proceed  by  way  of  McCallum’s  Ferry  and  down  Jeffry’s 
Creek  to  the  Pee  Dee,  where  these  forces  under  Colonel 
Watson  and  Colonel  Doyle  were  to  form  a  junction  and 
take  Snow’s  Island.  Marion  was  advised  by  his  scouts 
of  these  approaching  British  armies  almost  as  soon  as  they 
had  left  Fort  Watson.  He  hurried  forward  and  met  Colo¬ 
nel  Watson  at  Wiboo  Swamp  about  half  way  between  Nel¬ 
son’s  and  Murray’s  Ferries. 

The  first  point  of  contact  between  these  forces  at  Wiboo 
was  that  of  the  Tory  Cavalry  under  Colonel  Richbourgh 
and  Marion’s  Cavalry  under  Colonel  Peter  Horry.  These 
advance  guards  fell  back  on  their  main  bodies.  Finally, 
a  troop  of  Tory  Cavalry  under  Harrison  attempted  to  pass 
over  the  narrow  causeway  toward  Marion’s  army.  It  was 
here  that  Gavin  James,  a  private  soldier,  mounted  on  a 
strong  gray  horse  and  armed  with  a  musket  and  bayonet, 
advanced  in  front  of  his  comrades  directly  in  the  path  of 
the  enemy.  He  fired  his  rifle  and  felled  the  leader  and 
drew  a  volley  from  the  platoon  approaching,  not  a  shot 
of  which  took  effect.  A  dragoon  rushed  upon  James  but 
was  stricken  down  by  the  bayonet,  another  rushed  for¬ 
ward  to  the  assistance  of  his  comrade  and  shared  the  same 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


109 


fate,  but,  in  falling,  laid  hold  of  the  muzzle  of  James’  mus¬ 
ket  and  was  dragged  in  the  retreat  about  fifteen  yards. 

Captains  Macauley’s  and  Conyers’  troops  of  cavalry  re¬ 
sisted  the  oncoming  Tories  and  Captain  Conyers  here 
killed  Harrison,  the  Tory  leader.  Marion’s  force  was  not 
sufficiently  strong  to  resist  Watson,  so  he  withdrew,  march¬ 
ing  down  the  river.  Marion  contested  Watson’s  advance 
again  at  Mount  Hope  in  Williamsburg.  He  burned  the 
bridges  that  crossed  Mount  Hope  Swamp;  and,  while 
Watson’s  engineers  were  rebuilding  them,  his  sharpshoot¬ 
ers  killed  and  wounded  many.  Watson  had  several  pieces 
of  artillery  and  finally  succeeded  by  shelling  the  swamps 
in  driving  out  Marion’s  men. 

Watson  led  his  command  towards  the  Lower  Bridge. 
General  Marion  sent  Major  James,  commanding  a  detach¬ 
ment  of  fast  moving  cavalry,  thirty  of  whom  were  Mc- 
Cottry’s  expert  riflemen,  by  a  nearer  way  to  the  Lower 
Bridge.  He  crossed  toward  the  King’s  Tree,  destroyed 
the  bridge  and  placed  his  riflemen  on  the  North  side  of 
the  River  before  Watson’s  command  arrived.  Later,  Gen¬ 
eral  Marion,  having  come  by  way  of  the  King’s  Tree,  re¬ 
inforced  Major  James  at  the  bridge.  Marion  arrived  before 
Watson. 

The  river  at  this  point  at  the  bridge  is  about  fifty  yards 
wide.  Some  distance  below,  it  was  fordable.  On  the 
southwest,  the  bank  of  the  river  is  a  high  bluff;  on  the 
northeast,  the  land  is  low  and  swampy.  Watson  ap¬ 
proached  the  river  from  the  southwest  and  opened  up  his 
field  pieces  upon  the  ford.  Watson’s  artillery  could  not 
fire  effectively  upon  the  ford  without  placing  their  guns 
in  a  position  exposed  to  the  deadly  fire  of  McCottry’s  rifle¬ 
men.  Every  attempt  made  to  bring  the  field  pieces  to  bear 
upon  the  low  ground  occupied  by  Marion’s  men  resulted 
fatally  for  the  artillerists.  Watson  attempted  to  rush  the 
ford.  The  officer  leading  this  forlorn  hope  fell  from  Cap¬ 
tain  McCottry’s  rifle.  Captain  McCottry’s  first  shot  was 


110 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


a  signal  for  his  riflemen  along  the  banks  to  Are;  and,  as 
fast  as  the  British  approached,  they  fell  before  the  un¬ 
erring  aim  of  McCottry’s  men.  Watson  was  terrified  at 
the  fierce  resistance  that  he  had  received.  He  said  that 
he  had  never  before  seen  such  shooting  in  all  of  his  life. 
At  night  the  firing  ceased  and  Colonel  Watson  retired 
and  took  up  his  quarters  at  the  house  of  John  Wither¬ 
spoon.  The  losses  to  the  British  in  this  battle  have  never 
been  known  to  the  Americans,  They  buried  their  dead 
in  the  river. 

This  defeat  of  Watson  at  the  Lower  Bridge  possibly 
saved  Marion’s  Brigade  from  destruction.  Watson  re¬ 
mained  on  the  Witherspoon  plantation  a  few  days,  where 
he  was  constantly  harassed  by  Marion’s  forces.  It  was  here 
that  Sergeant  McDonald  climbed  a  tree  on  the  Wither¬ 
spoon  Avenue  and  shot  the  British  Lieutenant  Toriano  at  a 
distance  of  three  hundred  yards,  a  marvelous  feat  of  marks¬ 
manship  with  a  rifle  at  that  time.  Realizing  that  Marion 
was  collecting  sufficient  forces  to  cross  the  river  and  at¬ 
tack,  Watson  proceeded  by  forced  marches  toward  George¬ 
town.  He  was  constantly  annoyed  on  his  way  by  troops 
of  Marion’s  Brigade ;  and  as  he  crossed  the  Sampit  Bridge, 
was  given  a  parting  volley  by  McCottrv’s  riflemen. 

In  the  meantime,  Colonel  Doyle  had  reached  Snow’s 
Island  unresisted.  When  General  Marion  set  out  from 
Snow’s  Island  to  meet  Colonel  Watson,  he  left  Colonel 
Hugh  Ervin  in  command.  Colonel  Ervin  realized  that  he 
had  too  small  a  force  to  resist  Colonel  Doyle’s  command, 
so  he  threw  all  of  his  stores  and  ammunition  into  Lynch’s 
Creek  and  retreated.  By  that  time,  Marion  was  hurrying 
toward  Snow’s  Island,  having  driven  Watson  out  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg.  He  arrived  too  late  to  meet  Doyle;  however, 
his  brigade  fired  on  Doyle’s  forces  as  they  were  crossing 
Witherspoon’s  Ferry  on  their  way  back  to  Camden.  Soon 
after  this  time,  Lee’s  Legion  joined  General  Marion  and 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


111 


the  American  cause  found  brighter  hopes  out  of  frequent 
victories. 

Marion’s  Brigade  brought  light  out  of  Williamsburg  in 
the  darkest  hours  of  the  Revolution.  When  Williamsburg 
invited  General  Marion  to  marshal  its  forces  in  the  cause 
of  Liberty,  hope  for  independence  in  South  Carolina  had 
fled  from  all  but  the  Scotch-Irish  of  Williamsburg.  Out 
of  action,  which  seemed  suicidal,  there  came  independence. 
Some  time  the  American  people  will  realize  that  Marion’s 
campaigns  in  Williamsburg  kept  the  fires  of  liberty  burn¬ 
ing  when  its  flames  were  flickering  low  and  then  lovers  of 
patriotism  will  visit  these  unmarked  shrines  in  Williams¬ 
burg  and  will  then  do  honor  by  placing  marble  and  bronze 
on  so  many  places  where  valiant  dust  reposes.  One  might 
place  immortelles  on  almost  any  spot  in  Williamsburg 
and  the  muse  of  history  would  commend. 

Half  a  century  of  pioneer  conditions  in  which  Williams¬ 
burg  lived,  almost  shut  off  from  communication  with  the 
other  parts  of  the  world  and  rejoicing  in  the  fact,  had  made 
them  self-reliant,  self-supporting  and  strong.  Hunting 
and  stalking  wary  game  had  taught  them  the  secrets  of 
field,  forest,  and  stream.  Rounding  up  horses  and  cattle 
had  made  them  fearless  riders.  Marion’s  horsemen  and 
their  horses  knew  the  topography  of  all  this  country  and 
how  to  overcome  the  difficult  natural  conditions.  Shooting 
squirrels,  on  the  Santee,  made  many  of  Marion’s  riflemen 
for  the  Revolution. 

When  Williamsburg  formed  James’  battalion,  the  nu¬ 
cleus  of  Marion’s  Brigade,  it  was  equipped  entirely  in  the 
district.  It  had  the  finest  rifles  and  the  best  horses  and 
the  strongest  men  in  America ;  and  Marion’s  troops,  from 
that  time  until  the  war  had  been  practically  won,  were 
supplied  largely  from  the  resources  of  Williamsburg  and 
from  the  material  obtained  by  capture  from  the  enemy. 

It  is  true  that  Marion’s  men  were  sometimes  poorly  sup¬ 
plied  with  clothing  and  with  provisions  and  that  often 


112 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


they  dressed  in  the  skins  of  animals  they  had  slain  and 
lived  on  sweet  potatoes  and  fish,  and  fought  with  swords 
their  women  had  filed  out  of  handsaws  and  shot  the  bullets 
these  same  women  had  moulded  from  their  pewter  spoons. 
Cornwallis  said  after  the  War,  on  being  taunted  on  account 
of  his  inability  to  destroy  Marion  in  Williamsburg,  “I 
could  not  capture  web-footed  men  who  could  subsist  on 
roots  and  berries.”  He  was  thinking  of  the  ability  of 
Marion’s  Men  to  cross  the  swamps  in  Williamsburg  and  of 
their  potato  diet. 

All  of  the  men  of  Williamsburg  from  fifteen  to  sixty 
fought  under  General  Marion  for  more  than  two  years. 
The  women  of  the  district  showed  remarkable  adaptability 
in  doing  their  men’s  work  about  the  home  and  on  the  plan¬ 
tation.  These  Williamsburg  Revolutionary  women  deserve 
much  notice  from  history.  Tales  of  their  labors,  their 
hardships,  and  their  triumphs  have  never  been  told.  Know¬ 
ing  how  the  average  man  of  that  time  in  Williamsburg 
dominated  completely  and  how  little  exercise  of  discretion 
and  authority  he  allowed  his  wife  and  the  women  of  his 
family,  it  is  remarkable,  to  say  the  least,  how  these  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  women  apparently  all  at  once  emerged  out  of 
their  restricted  spheres  and  managed  plantations  and  con¬ 
trolled  slaves  with  such  excellent  judgment.  They  kept 
the  home  fires  burning,  the  cornfields  growing,  and  the 
cattle  breeding. 

On  of  the  best  known  heroines  of  Revolutionarv  Wil- 

*/ 

liamsburg  was  Margaret  Gregg,  wife  of  Captain  William 
Gordon.  For  her  and  her  soldier  husband,  the  Margaret 
Gregg  Gordon  Chapter,  Daughters  of  the  American  Revo¬ 
lution,  is  named.  Two  stories  of  her  are  told  in  Wallace’s 
History  of  the  Williamsburg  Church  as  follows : 

“Pending  the  predatory  warfare  of  Hamilton,  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg,  a  party  of  marauding  Tories  went  to  the  house 
of  Captain  William  Gordon,  and  commenced  plundering 
the  house.  But  conscience  makes  men  cowards.  The  alarm 


THE  WAR  OF  THE  REVOLUTION 


113 


was  given,  whether  false  or  not  does  not  appear,  that 
the  Whigs  were  coming,  when  the  whole  party  fled.  One 
of  them  becoming  fastened  in  some  way  on  the  fence,  was 
unable  to  get  over.  Mrs.  Gordon  ran  and  caught  the  fel¬ 
low,  and  pulling  him  down  on  her  own  side  of  the  fence, 
detained  him  until  help  came,  and  he  was  secured. 

“At  another  time,  the  free-booters  came  and  carried  off 
all  Mr.  Gordon’s  horses,  while  he  was  absent  fighting  the 
battles  of  his  country.  Mrs.  Gordon,  unable  to  prevent 
the  robbery,  followed  the  party  at  a  distance,  and  observed 
where  the  horses  were  enclosed.  That  night  she  went  alone, 
caught  the  best  horse  in  the  lot — a  better  than  any  one 
of  her  own,  and  mounting  him  rode  away  in  safety  with 
her  reprisal.” 


CHAPTER  XI. 


WILLIAMSBURG  SOLDIERS  IN  THE  REVOLUTION. 

So  far  as  is  known,  all  records  of  Marion’s  Brigade 
have  been  lost;  indeed,  it  is  not  certain  that  General 
Marion  kept  any  rolls  of  his  soldiers.  Tradition  is  full 
of  tales  of  these  men  of  valor,  but  it  is  difficult  to  obtain 
authentic  information  of  many  who  must  have  been  among 
them.  Some  years  after  the  War,  those  soldiers  who  sub¬ 
mitted  accounts  for  services  and  supplies  were  paid.  There 
are  a  great  many  of  these  “Pay  Indents”  in  the  office  of  the 
Historical  Commission  of  South  Carolina  and  from  these 
records  it  has  been  established  that  nearly  all  of  the  fol¬ 
lowing  served  under  General  Marion.  There  are  a  few 
names  on  the  list  that  have  other  incontestable  evidence 
to  warrant  their  worthiness  among  these  mighty  men. 

Colonels:  John  Baxter,  Hugh  Ervin,  John  Ervin,  Archi¬ 
bald  McDonald. 

Majors:  John  James,  William  Buford,  James  Conyers, 
Morgan  Sabb,  James  Postell. 

Captains:  John  Armstrong,  Philip  Frierson,  William 
Frierson,  John  Graham,  James  Green,  William  Gordon, 
John  James,  Hugh  Knox,  Andrew  Lester,  John  Macauley, 
Robert  McCottry,  John  McKenzie,  John  Mills,  Henry 
Mouzon,  Robert  Paisley,  William  Spivey,  John  Nelson, 
Samuel  Taylor,  James  Wilson,  James  Witherspoon,  John 
Witherspoon,  David  Witherspoon,  Gavin  Witherspoon, 
Daniel  Conyers,  Andrew  DuBose,  Mark  Huggins. 

Lieutenants :  J ames  H.  Allison,  Daniel  Britton,  Daniel 
Cottingham,  John  Frierson,  William  Gamble,  James  Gor¬ 
don,  Roger  Gordon,  James  Hamilton,  John  Hinds,  Alexan¬ 
der  James,  Thomas  Kerwin,  Andrew  Lester,  James  Mc¬ 
Dowell,  Hugh  Postell,  John  Reed,  Joseph  Scott,  John 
McKenzie,  James  McDowell,  John  Wilson,  William  Wil¬ 
son,  James  Davis,  William  Huggins. 


SOLDIERS  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 


115 


Sergeants :  George  Frierson,  Gavin  James,  Thomas  Mc¬ 
Gee,  David  Simms,  William  Nelson. 

Soldiers:  Alexander  Adair,  Benjamin  Adair,  James 
Adair,  John  Adair,  James  Allison,  James  Armstrong, 
John  Armstrong,  William  Armstrong,  John  Arnett,  Fran¬ 
cis  Austin,  John  Austin,  Thomas  Austin,  John  Anderson. 

Israel  Baxter,  Samuel  Bennett,  John  Blakeley,  James 
Bradley,  John  Borland,  John  Boyd,  John  Bradford, 
Joshua  Braveboy,  John  Brockinton,  James  Brown,  John 
Brown,  James  Brunson,  William  Brunson,  Joseph  Bur¬ 
gess,  William  Burgess,  John  Burns,  William  Burrows. 

David  Campbell,  Duncan  Campbell,  George  Campbell, 
James  Campbell,  Thomas  Campbell,  William  Campbell, 
John  China,  George  Chandler,  Isaac  Chandler,  Jesse 
Chandler,  Jacob  Coleman,  Benjamin  Coker,  Nathan  Coker, 
West  Cook,  William  Cook,  Samuel  Cordes,  Dill  Cotting- 
ham,  John  Cunningham  Thomas  Clark,  John  Cantey, 
Charles  Cantley,  Thomas  Coker,  John  Cousar. 

John  Daniel,  John  Davis,  James  Davis,  Robert  Davis, 
John  Dial,  John  Dickey,  .Peter  Dubose,  Ben  Duke,  Wil¬ 
liam  Duke,  John  Dye,  Isaiah  Dennis. 

Daniel  Eaddy,  Henry  Eaddy,  James  Ervin. 

Hugh  Ferguson,  John  Ferguson,  Thomas  Ferguson, 
James  Fleming,  John  Fleming,  William  Fleming,  Absalom 
Frierson,  George  Frierson,  Joshua  Frierson,  Robert  Frier¬ 
son,  William  Frierson,  William  Frierson,  Jr.,  John  Ford, 
William  Full  wood,  Moses  Ferguson,  James  Frierson, 
James  Fleming,  Jr.,  Robert  Fraser,  William  Fraser. 

Hugh  Gamble,  James  Gamble,  John  Gamble,  Robert 
Gamble,  Samuel  Gamble,  Stephen  Gamble,  Samuel  Gar¬ 
ner,  Jesse  George,  Richard  George,  William  George,  James 
Gordon,  James  Gibson,  Robert  Gibson,  Roger  Gibson, 
William  Godwin,  Moses  Gordon,  John  Gordon,  James 
Green,  James  Graham,  William  Graham,  Samuel  Garner, 
Benjamin  Green,  William  Green,  Andrew  Gillespie. 


116 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


James  Hamilton,  John  Hamilton,  William  Hamilton, 
Richard  Hanna,  Sr.,  Robert  Hanna,  Jr.,  William  Hasel- 
den,  Richard  Haselden,  Robert  Heathley,  John  Huggins, 
James  Hodge,  Benjamin  Hodge,  William  Hodge,  Benja¬ 
min  Howard,  Edward  Howard,  John  Hutson,  William 
Hutson,  John  Howard. 

Gavin  James,  William  D.  James,  Robert  Jamison,  Na¬ 
thaniel  James,  David  James,  James  James,  Robert  James. 

Abraham  Keels,  Isaac  Keels,  John  Keels,  James  Kelly, 
John  Kelly,  Samuel  Kelly,  Alexander  Kennedy,  James 
Kennedy,  Joseph  Kennedy,  Stephen  Kennedy,  Thomas 
Kennedy,  Robert  Knox,  Archibald  Knox. 

Andrew  Lee,  John  Lee,  Henry  Lenud,  Peter  Lequex, 
Samuel  Lequex,  Daniel  Lesesne,  Francis  Lesesne,  John 
Lesesne,  James  Lester,  Robert  Lowry,  William  Lowry. 

David  Matthews,  John  Marshall,  Isaac  Matthews,  Joseph 
Matthews,  Samuel  Matthews,  William  Matthews,  Samuel 
Mayes,  David  McCants,  John  McCants,  Thomas  McCants, 
William  McCants,  John  McCown,  Samuel  McCown,  Moses 
McCown,  John  McCreary,  James  McCreight,  Alexander 
McCown,  John  McConnell,  James  McConnell,  Hugh 
McConnell,  Thomas  McConnell,  Robert  McCormick,  Hugh 
McBride,  James  McBride,  Barkley  McClarv,  John  Mc- 
Clary,  Matthew  McClary,  Jr.,  Thomas  McClary,  Samuel 
McClary,  William  Michau,  James  Macauley,  James  Mc- 
Cutchen,  James  McCullough,  John  McCullough,  Hugh 
McCullough,  Nathaniel  McCullough,  William  McCullough, 
Francis  McDonald,  James  McDonald,  John  McDonald, 
William  McDowell,  James  McDowell,  William  McElveen, 
Edward  McFaddin,  John  McFaddin,  Thomas  McFaddin, 
William  McFaddin,  Adam  McKee,  Robert  McKee,  Thomas 
McKee,  John  McKnight,  Moses  McKnight,  Robert  Mc- 
Knight,  James  McGee,  Thomas  McGee,  William  McGee, 
John  McGill,  Samuel  McGill,  Thomas  McGinness,  Charles 
McGinney,  John  McCrea,  Thomas  McCrea,  Thomas  Me* 
Crea,  Jr.,  James  McCutchen,  William  McPherson,  Andrew 


SOLDIERS  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 


117 


Miller,  Jesse  Mills,  Thomas  Mills,  Thomas  Mitchum,  Wil¬ 
liam  Moffat,  Hugh  Montgomery,  James  Montgomery, 
Robert  Montgomery,  Samuel  Montgomery,  Norman  Mont¬ 
gomery,  Benjamin  Morris,  Thomas  Morris,  William 
Morris,  Edward  Murphy,  John  Murphy,  James  Murphy, 
William  Murrell,  John  Mills,  John  Morris,  George  Morris, 
Andrew  McMuldrow,  John  McMuldrow,  James  McMul- 
drow,  William  McMuldrow,  Hugh  McMuldrow,  David 
McMuldrow. 

Isaac  Nelson,  Samuel  Nelson,  Thomas  Nelson,  William 
Nelson,  John  Nesmith,  Lemuel  Nesmith,  Robert  Nesmith, 
Samuel  Nesmith,  Thomas  Nesmith,  Joseph  Nettles,  Robert 
Nettles. 

William  Oliver,  William  Orr. 

John  Perdreau,  John  Paisley,  James  Parnell,  James 
Parsons,  John  Postell,  Joshua  Patrick,  James  Patrick, 
Patrick  Pendergrass. 

James  Richbourg,  John  Robinson,  William  Robinson, 
Andrew  Rodgers,  John  Rodgers,  Jr.,  Nathanial  Rodgers, 
William  T.  Rodgers,  Benjamin  Reeves. 

Morgan  Sabb,  Peter  Salters,  Alexander  Scott,  James 
Scott,  John  Scott,  Samuel  Scott,  Thomas  Scott,  William 
Scott,  Daniel  Shaw,  William  Sellers,  David  Simms, 
Thomas  Simms,  Richard  Singleton,  Peter  Sinkler,  Samuel 
Smiley,  William  Smiley,  James  Smith,  John  Smith,  Wil¬ 
liam  Smith,  James  Snow,  William  Snow,  John  Staggers, 
Alexander  Stewart,  Hugh  Stewart,  James  Steele,  William 
Steele,  Robert  Strong,  Hugh  Sutton,  Robert  Swan,  Wil¬ 
liam  Swinton,  Shadrack  Simons,  Edward  Sexton,  James 
Steele,  William  Shaw,  Jacob  Sutton. 

Edward  Thomas,  William  Thompson,  Archibald  Thom¬ 
son,  James  Thomson,  John  Tomlinson,  James  Thomas,  Na¬ 
thaniel  Tomlinson,  William  Thomas. 

Michael  Wallace,  James  Wallace,  John  Wallace,  Wil¬ 
liam  Wallace,  John  Watson,  James  Watson,  Robert 
Watson,  John  Wheeler,  John  White,  Jesse  Williamson, 


118 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Sterling  Williamson,  William  Williamson,  Hugh  Wilson, 
James  Wilson,  Edward  Wingate,  Gavin  Witherspoon, 
John  Witherspoon,  John  Workman,  Robert  Workman, 
John  Wilson,  John  Woodberry,  David  Watson. 

Among  those  who  furnished  supplies  for  Marion’s  bri¬ 
gade  were  the  following:  John  Armstrong,  John  Burns, 
David  Campbell,  John  Cantey,  Charles  Cantey,  Thomas 
Ferguson,  Moses  Gordon,  Thomas  Kerwin,  James  Lester, 
James  Macauley,  John  Macauley,  Robert  McKnight, 
James  McCullough,  Samuel  Montgomery,  Nathaniel  Mont¬ 
gomery,  Mrs.  Susannah  Parsons,  William  Thompson, 
Michael  Wallace,  John  Watson,  Mrs.  Catherine  Watson, 
John  Wilson,  Mrs.  Mary  Wilson,  Captain  Hugh  Knox, 
Robert  McKee,  John  Mills,  John  Mills,  Jr.,  William 
McFaddin,  William  Nelson,  Alexander  Kennedy,  Robert 
Gibson,  James  Gibson,  John  White,  Benjamin  Screven, 
Benjamin  Singleton,  John  Woodberry,  Daniel  Lesesne, 
Edward  Thomas,  William  James,  Mrs.  Sarah  James, 
Thomas  Kennedy,  Thomas  Simms,  John  Lee,  Archibald 
McDonald,  Mrs.  Rachel  McDonald,  Daniel  Kelly,  Abra¬ 
ham  Keels,  John  Kennedy,  Charles  McGinney,  John 
Gordon,  John  Arnett,  Daniel  Eaddy,  William  Graham, 
Robert  Lowry,  Peter  Lequeux,  William  Michau,  Isaac 
Nelson,  James  Richbourg,  Peter  Sinkler,  Samuel  Cordes, 
James  Brunson,  Henry  Lenud,  John  Staggers,  Joseph 
McKee,  John  McGill,  Thomas  McCants,  William  Bur¬ 
gess,  John  Perdreau,  James  Armstrong,  John  Adair, 
William  Burrows,  John  Dye,  Samuel  Bennett,  Nathaniel 
McCullough,  James  McCullough,  John  Scott,  William 
Scott,  Mrs.  Jane  Arnett,  Mrs.  Martha  Boyd,  John  Boyd, 
Absalom  Frierson,  Hugh  Gamble,  Theodore  and  Peter 
Gourdin  Estates,  Mrs.  Mary  Lesesne,  Thomas  McFaddin, 
Mrs.  Mary  Salters,  Morgan  Sabb,  Ben  Duke,  Mrs.  Eliza¬ 
beth  Dobbin,  Henry  Lenud,  Hugh  McCullough,  James 
Belin,  John  Dickey,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Bradley,  George 
Chandler,  James  McCullough  for  estate  of  Paul  Fulton, 


SOLDIERS  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 


119 


William  Snow,  John  Gamble,  Allard  Belin,  James  Belin, 
Mrs.  Margaret  Gordon. 

Colonel  John  Baxter  was  a  son  of  the  Reverend  John 
Baxter,  minister  of  the  Black  Mingo  Presbyterian  Church 
in  1733.  Colonel  Baxter  was  born  and  reared  in  Williams¬ 
burg,  where  his  father  was  a  successful  planter  as  well  as 
a  vigorous  preacher.  Colonel  Baxter  was  severely 
wounded  at  Quinday,  from  which  wound  he  never  fully  re¬ 
covered. 

Colonel  John  Ervin  commanded  the  Britton’s  Neck  Reg¬ 
iment  and  served  in  Marion’s  Brigade.  He  was  born  March 
25,  1754,  and  died  June  10,  1820,  the  son  of  John  and 
Elizabeth  Ervin.  He  married  Jane  Witherspoon,  daughter 
of  Gavin  and  Jane  James  Witherspoon,  January  10,  1775. 
Their  children  reaching  maturity  were  Samuel,  who  moved 
to  Georgia  and  married  Harriette  Keith;  Elizabeth,  who 
married  Mr.  Ford  of  Mississippi;  and  James  Robert,  who 
married  Elizabeth  Powe.  Jane,  wife  of  John  Ervin,  died 
September  20,  1790,  and  he,  on  October  6,  1799,  married 
his  cousin,  Margaret  Ervin.  Two  of  their  children  reached 
maturity,  Hugh  and  John.  Colonel  Ervin  was  born  in 
the  Cedar  Swamp  section  ,of  Williamsburg  County  but 
moved  just  before  the  War  of  the  Revolution  to  the  Aim- 
well  community  of  the  great  Pee  Dee  River.  He  was 
one  of  the  founders  of  the  Aimwell  Presbyterian  Church 
and  one  of  its  first  Session  of  Elders.  It  is  probable  that  he 
was  the  youngest  man  who  attained  to  the  rank  of  colonel 
during  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

Colonel  Hugh  Ervin  was  second  in  command  of  Marion’s 
Brigade.  He  was  as  a  general  rule  left  in  command  at 
Marion’s  headquarters  when  the  general  was  in  the  field. 
He  was  a  son  of  Hugh  Ervin,  Sr.,  and  was  born  in  the 
Cedar  Swamp  community  of  Williamsburg.  He  moved 
to  the  AiinAvell  community  on  Pee  Dee  just  before  the  War 
of  the  Revolution  and  was  one  of  the  founders  and  first 
Elders  of  the  Aimwell  Presbyterian  Church. 


120 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Colonel  Archibald  McDonald  was  born  in  Orangeburg 
and  later  moved  to  Williamsburg  and  served  in  the  Revo¬ 
lution  from  this  district. 

Major  William  Buford  lived  on  the  Santee  River  and 
was  a  valuable  officer  in  Marion’s  Brigade. 

Major  James  Conyers  was  one  of  the  most  dashing  offi¬ 
cers  South  Carolina  furnished  in  the  Revolution.  He  was 
born  on  his  father’s  plantation  in  the  Brewington  com¬ 
munity  where  a  lake  is  still  known  as  Conyers’  Lake.  He 
first  enlisted  in  Captain  Fullwood’s  company  in  1775  along 
with  his  younger  brother,  Daniel.  James  Conyers  was 
a  major  in  Wade  Hampton’s  Regiment  of  State  Cavalry  in 
1782  and  served  under  General  Sumter  in  the  northwestern 
section  of  South  Carolina,  and  under  General  Green  in 
his  campaigns  in  northern  South  Carolina.  Major  Con¬ 
yers  was  the  officer  chosen  by  General  Green  to  bear  his 
confidential  communications  to  General  Marion,  eviden¬ 
cing  unmistakably  the  high  esteem  in  which  he  was  held 
by  the  Commander-in-chief  of  the  Revolutionary  Armies 
of  South  Carolina. 

Judge  James,  in  his  Life  of  Marion,  relates  how  Major 
Conyers,  when  attacked  by  cavalry  force  of  the  British 
by  night,  rather  than  fall  back  on  the  main  body  in  camp 
where  he  knew  it  must  be  asleep  and  liable  to  disastrous 
surprise,  took  the  dangerous  risk  of  leading  the  enemy  off 
on  another  road,  continuing  a  running  fight,  and  by  so 
doing,  saved  the  camp.  Major  Conyers  was  killed  after  the 
British  in  South  Carolina  had  been  driven  into  the  City 
of  Charleston  and  the  War  of  the  Revolution  had  been 
practically  won.  One  day  late  in  the  year  1782  his  body 
servant  came  home  leading  his  master’s  horse  and  telling 
that  Major  Conyers  had  been  killed  by  a  foraging  party 
of  the  British  at  the  Round  O  near  Charleston. 

Captain  John  Nelson  was  born  September  17,  1753,  and 
died  December  27,  1803.  In  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 
he  first  enlisted  as  a  private  in  Fullwood’s  Company,  Sep- 


SOLDIERS  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 


121 


tember  30,  1775,  and  afterwards  became  a  captain  in 
Marion’s  Brigade.  He  married  a  Miss  Kingswood  who 
was  born  1768  and  died  1864.  Captain  Nelson  lived  on 
his  plantation  in  the  Brewington  community.  Close  by 
was  the  ford  across  Black  River  Swamp  frequently  used 
by  General  Francis  Marion  in  his  military  forays.  A  few 
miles  from  this  Nelson  plantation  Marion  fell  on  the  Tories 
at  Tarcote  and  scattered  them  with  great  loss.  Captain 
John  Nelson’s  house  was  burned  bv  Wemvss,  the  British 
Commander,  but  rebuilt  on  the  same  spot. 

Captain  Nelson  was  an  interesting  character  and  his 
home  was  the  center  of  the  social  life  of  the  Brewington 
community.  As  long  as  he  lived,  Captain  Nelson  kept  at 
his  home  a  cannon  that  had  been  used  in  the  War  of  the 
Revolution ;  and,  whenever  he  desired  that  his  friends  and 
Revolutionary  comrades  gather  at  his  home  for  a  few  hours 
of  feasting  and  fellowship,  he  would  fire  this  old  cannon 
and  everybody  in  the  community  would  hasten  to  his  home. 
They  knew  very  well  that  Captain  Nelson  had  already 
roasted  many  pigs,  and  a  barrel  of  good  old  brandy  had 
been  skidded  out  in  the  grove  and  made  ready  for  tapping. 
His  bread  was  baked  in  a  large  brick  Dutch  oven  built  out 
under  the  oaks.  Sometimes  a  hill  of  luscious  sweet  pota¬ 
toes  was  baked  all  at  once  in  this  oven.  The  corn  meal 
used  on  his  plantation  was  all  ground  in  a  hand  mill  and 
his  slaves  knew  how  to  bake  corn  bread  in  a  manner  not 
known  in  the  present  day.  The  fact  is  the  baking  of  corn 
bread  is  as  much  a  lost  art  in  Williamsburg  as  the  tem¬ 
pering  of  Damascus’  swords  is  in  the  world  at  large. 

Captain  Nelson  loved  his  friends  and  hated  his  enemies. 
The  story  is  told  that  after  the  War  a  man  who  had  been 
a  troublesome  Tory  during  the  conflict  and  who  after¬ 
wards  wanted  the  Captain’s  friendship  and  to  “neighbor” 
with  him  rode  up  the  long  avenue  one  day  and,  prudently 
remaining  on  his  horse  outside  the  gate,  hailed.  When 
Captain  Nelson  appeared  on  the  porch,  the  former  Tory 


122 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


began  to  announce  his  errand,  which  was  never  finished, 
for  the  old  Captain  stepped  back  within  the  door  where 
his  loaded  rifle  always  hung  and  the  kind  hearted  housewife 
or  somebody  who  understood,  cried  out,  “Ride,  Tory,  ride/’ 
and  when  Captain  Nelson  with  his  rifle  appeared  on  the 
porch,  the  only  thing  visible  in  the  land  was  a  cloud  of 
dust. 

Captain  William  Gordon  was  a  native  of  Pennsylvania. 

He  settled  in  the  Cedar  Swamp  section  in  1770.  Some 
time  later,  he  married  Margaret,  widow  of  Samuel  Scott, 
and  daughter  of  John  Gregg.  In  1774,  William  Gordon 
moved  into  the  Aimwell  community.  He  died  in  1783, 
before  any  claims  for  the  services  of  Marion’s  men  were 
paid.  When  his  widow  submitted  her  claim  for  his  ser¬ 
vices,  the  separate  items  amounted  to  a  considerable  sum. 
Endorsed  on  this  claim  for  payment  and  signed  by  Robert 
Baxter,  Justice  of  the  Quorum,  is  the  following:  “Cap¬ 
tain  Gordon  is  dead ;  there  is  therefore  no  person  to  prove 
his  account;  however,  I  can  assure  the  Auditor  that  Mr. 
Gordon  was  as  constantly  and  as  regularly  in  the  service 
of  his  country  as  any  Militia  officer  in  the  Pee  Dee  Regi¬ 
ment;  and,  from  the  character  of  the  officers  who  have 
given  his  service,  I  really  think  his  account  must  be 
just.”  The  claim  was  paid  in  full.  Captain  Gordon  was 
elected  a  member  of  the  General  Assembly  of  South  Caro¬ 
lina  for  the  district  “East  of  the  Waterees”  in  1782. 

Captains  John  McKenzie,  William  McKenzie,  and  John 
Mills  were  from  the  northwestern  section  of  Williams¬ 
burg  and  served  under  General  Sumter.  Captain  Samuel 
Taylor  lived  in  the  Pudding  Swamp  community  and  was 
an  aide-de-camp  to  General  Sumter  and  one  of  his  most 
dashing  officers. 

Lieutenant  Roger  Gordon  was  a  grandson  of  Colonel 
Roger  Gordon,  an  original  settler  in  Williamsburg  in  1732. 

In  1781,  General  Marion  sent  him  out  to  patrol  on  Lynch’s 
Creek.  He  and  his  company  were  surrounded  by  a  much 

I 


I 


I...  U  «•  .  ' 


I 


LIEUT.  JOSEPH  SCOTT,  MARION’S  BRIGADE 


SOLDIERS  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 


123 


larger  body  of  Tories;  and,  after  haying  capitulated,  he 
and  all  his  men  were  murdered.  Lieutenant  Gordon  left 
a  widow  and  one  son,  who  was  an  infant.  They  lived 
afterwards  in  Sumter  District. 

Lieutenant  Joseph  Scott  was  born  August  18,  1747,  son 
of  John  Scott,  an  original  settler  in  Williamsburg.  He 
married  Jannet  McCrea,  born  August  5,  1747,  daughter 
of  Alexander  McCrea,  original  settler  in  Williamsburg. 
They  had  four  daughters,  Margaret,  Jannet,  Elizabeth,  and 
Mary,  and  one  son,  John.  Lieutenant  Joseph  Scott  was 
one  of  the  most  daring  officers  in  Marion’s  Brigade.  He 
served  under  Marion  but  a  short  time,  from  the  formation 
of  the  Brigade  in  June  until  wounded  by  a  rifle  ball  which 
shattered  his  thigh  in  the  Battle  of  Black  Mingo,  which 
prevented  him  from  further  active  duty  with  troops.  His 
record  was  such  that  he  has  always  been  a  favorite  Revo¬ 
lutionary  hero  in  Williamsburg,  and  fiction  writers  have 
frequently  found  material  in  his  exploits.  The  bullet 
which  shattered  his  thigh  still  remains  in  the  possession 
of  one  of  his  descendants  in  Kingstree. 

Major  John  James  was  born  in  Ireland,  April  12,  1732, 
son  of  Elizabeth  Witherspoon  and  William  James,  who 
brought  him  to  Williamsburg  when  he  was  less  than  a  year 
old.  Major  James’  grandfather  was  John  James,  Cap¬ 
tain  of  Dragoons,  under  William  of  Orange  against  James 
II.  Major  James  was  a  powerful  man  from  every  point 
of  view,  broadshouldered,  clearminded,  and  commanding 
in  appearance  and  character.  He  was  captain  of  militia 
under  George  III  in  1775  and  immediately  resigned  when 
the  Revolutionary  War  began  and  served  with  distinction 
during  that  seven  year  conflict.  He  gained  special  dis¬ 
tinction  in  commanding  a  company  at  the  battle  of  Tuli- 
finny’s  Bridge  before  the  fall  of  Charleston. 

Major  James,  before  the  fall  of  Charleston,  was  sent 
by  Governor  Rutledge  to  Williamsburg  to  organize  the 
district  into  a  fighting  force  for  service  in  the  Revolution. 


124 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


While  doing  this  work,  Charleston  was  taken  by  the  Brit¬ 
ish  and  thus  Major  Janies  escaped  capture.  A  number 
of  the  men  of  Williamsburg  were  soldiers  in  the  American 
forces  at  the  fall  of  Charleston,  May  12,  1780.  These 
soldiers  were  paroled  and  allowed  to  come  home  on  con¬ 
dition  that  they  would  refrain  from  further  active  par¬ 
ticipation  in  the  war  against  the  King’s  forces.  Major 
James  had  already  begun  his  work  organizing  and  train¬ 
ing  soldiers  in  Williamsburg  for  service  in  the  Revolu¬ 
tion  when  these  paroled  soldiers  reached  home.  Their 
coming  on  parole  gave  an  element  of  uncertainty  in  the 
district.  The  men  who  Major  James  had  already  incited 
to  action  and  enlisted  in  the  service  of  the  colonies  did 
not  know  just  what  to  do.  Major  James  was  sent  to 
Georgetown  to  interview  Captain  Ardesoif,  British  Com¬ 
mander  at  that  time.  The  military  record  of  Major  James 
is  shown  along  with  the  story  of  the  participation  of 
Marion’s  Brigade  in  many  battles  of  the  Revolution. 
History  is  full  of  records  of  his  daring  deeds.  Frequent 
references  to  him  are  found  in  Weems’  Life  of  Marion, 
Simms’  Life  of  Marion,  McCrady’s  History  of  South  Caro¬ 
lina,  and  Ramsay’s  Revolution. 

Major  James  was  Ruling  Elder  in  the  Indiantown 
Church,  represented  his  people  in  the  Provincial  Assembly, 
and  was  a  member  of  the  Legislature  after  the  formation 
of  the  State.  His  statesmanship  is  well  shown  in  his 
services  in  the  State  Legislature  during  the  trying  time 
when  the  colony  was  being  transformed  into  the  State. 
January  18,  1753,  Major  James  married  Jean,  daughter 
of  William  Dobein,  of  Indiantown,  and  to  them  were  born 
four  children;  John,  who  was  a  Captain  in  the  Revolu¬ 
tion;  William  Dobein,  a  seventeen  year  old  soldier  in 
the  Revolution,  later  a  Chancellor  in  Equity  and  the 
author  of  the  Life  of  Marion ;  and  two  daughters,  Eliza¬ 
beth  and  Jannet. 


SOLDIERS  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 


125 


Captain  John  Witherspoon,  the  son  of  Gavin  and  his 
cousin,  Jane  James,  was  born  in  Williamsburg  in 
1742  and  died  in  1802.  He  married  Mary  Conn.  He  was 
an  Elder  in  the  Hopewell  Church  and  lived  in  the  Pee 
Dee  section.  He  was  a  captain  in  the  Revolutionary 
War.  Simms  in  his  life  of  Marion  says  of  him,  “Like  his 
brother,  Gavin,  he  is  distinguished  for  great  coolness, 
strength,  and  courage,  and  delighted  in  rash  adventure, 
the  rashness  giving  a  sort  of  relish  to  the  danger.77 

Gavin  Witherspoon,  son  of  Gavin,  was  born  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  in  1748  and  died  in  1834.  Marion  called  him 
an  extraordinary  soldier.  He  was  a  great  athlete  all  of 
his  life.  He  died  at  eighty-five  years  old ;  and,  on  the  day 
of  his  death,  he  rode  thirty  miles  on  horseback  and  died 
in  his  chair.  The  children  of  Gavin  Witherspoon  all  gave 
distinguished  service  in  the  Revolutionary  War:  John  and 
Gavin  as  captains,  and  Robert  and  William  as  private 
soldiers,  while  two  of  his  daughters  married  the  Colonels 
Ervin,  who  ranked  next  to  Marion  in  his  Brigade. 

Captain  James  Witherspoon,  son  of  Robert  and  Eliza¬ 
beth  Heathly,  was  born  March  20,  1759,  and  died  Sep¬ 
tember  9,  1791.  On  July  15,  1781,  he  was  commissioned 
first  Lieutenant  of  Captain  John  McBride’s  company, 
Colonel  Archibald  McDonald’s  Regiment.  On  April  16, 
1782,  he  was  promoted  to  be  Captain  of  the  Kingstree  Com¬ 
pany.  In  transmitting  his  commission,  as  Captain,  Gen¬ 
eral  Marion  in  a  letter  thus  referred  to  him,  “A  man 
whose  conduct  and  spirit  I  have  been  an  eye-witness  of, 
whom  I  have  always  had  the  highest  opinion  and  the 
highest  regard  for.”  Captain  Witherspoon  was  one  of  the 
most  popular  officers  in  Williamsburg.  He  was  engaged 
in  most  of  the  battles  of  the  Revolution  fought  in  South 
Carolina.  He  is  buried  in  the  old  Indiantown  Church¬ 
yard.  No  stone  marks  the  spot.  He  married  Miss  Nancy 
White  January  8,  1782,  and  to  them  were  born  four  chil- 


126 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


dren,  Robert  Lynn,  Janies  Harvey,  George  White,  and 
Martha  Ann. 

John  Witherspoon,  son  of  John  and  his  first  cousin, 
Mary  Witherspoon,  was  born  in  1755  and  died  in  1827. 
He  was  an  active  soldier  in  Colonel  Taylor’s  Regimnet 
during  the  Revolution.  He  married  Rebecca  Ervin,  widow, 
whose  maiden  name  was  McBride.  He  lived  near  Midway 
Church  and  served  for  a  time  as  Judge  of  Probate  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  District, 

Captain  David  Witherspoon  lived  near  Salem  Church. 
He  was  an  active  officer  under  Marion.  He  married  twice : 
first,  Elizabeth  Bradley;  and  second,  Mary  Story. 

Gavin  Witherspoon  was  a  Corporal  in  Captain  Daniel 
Conyers’  company  of  Marion’s  Brigade. 

Captain  Daniel  Conyers  was  a  daring  officer  under 
Marion.  Many  tales  of  his  exploits  are  told.  One  story 
in  which  the  young  woman  who  afterwards  became  his 
wife  figures.  The  British  were  encamped  on  the  Wither¬ 
spoon  plantation  about  seven  miles  South  of  the  King’s 
Tree.  They  held  possession  of  the  place  for  several  days. 
It  seems  that  the  British  protected  the  Witherspoon 
women  and  showed  them  commendable  courtesies.  Mary 
Witherspoon,  daughter  of  the  house,  was  affianced  to  Cap¬ 
tain  Conyers.  He  was  then  serving  under  Marion  and 
Marion’s  forces  were  preparing  to  drive  the  British  from 
the  Witherspoon  plantation.  Before  Marion  had  made  his 
final  successful  attack  on  the  British  at  the  Witherspoon 
house,  Captain  Conyers  had  ridden  up  the  Witherspoon 
Avenue  and  challenged  any  British  officer  to  mortal  com¬ 
bat,  On  the  afternoon  of  the  day  on  which  Captain 
Conyers  had  issued  this  challenge,  a  British  officer  was 
taunting  Miss  Mary  with  the  hopelessness  of  the  American 
cause  and  telling  her  how  soon  Captain  Conyers  would 
be  his  prisoner.  Miss  Mary  pulled  off  her  slipper,  struck 
the  British  officer  in  the  face,  saying  at  the  same  time, 


SOLDIERS  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 


127 


“He  is  ready  to  meet  yon;  go  out  and  fight  him,  you 
coward.” 

From  these  old  pay  vouchers  on  file  in  the  office  of  the 
South  Carolina  Historical  Commission,  Columbia,  S.  C., 
the  following  statements  are  taken :  “Thomas  Ferguson 
furnished  Marion  with  seventy-five  thousand  feet  of  lum¬ 
ber  which  Marion  used  in  the  Brewington  vicinity ;  Samuel 
Montgomery  made  boots  and  shoes  for  Marion’s  men; 
Alexander  Kennedy,  a  saddler;  James  Hamilton,  a  pay¬ 
master;  William  Murrell,  commissary;  Richard  George 
frequently  ferried  Marion’s  men  across  the  Pee  Dee ;  Daniel 
Eaddy  was  a  bootmaker;  John  Perdreau  was  Marion’s 
ferryman  at  Lenud’s;  Ben  Duke  was  saddler  for  Colonel 
Peter  Horry;  John  Dickey  was  one  of  Marion’s  purchasing 
commissaries;  James  Armstrong  was  a  wagon  master; 
Governor  Rutledge  in  1781  impressed  five  hundred  thirty- 
four  pounds  of  indigo  from  Allard  Belin;  John  Hamilton 
was  one  of  the  keenest  observers  in  Marion’s  remarkable 
secret  service.” 

The  four  Nesmith  brothers,  John,  Robert,  Samuel,  and 
Lemuel,  were  General  Marion’s  bodyguard.  These  Ne¬ 
smiths  were  herdsmen  in  their  boyhood  days  and  knew 
the  country  from  following  the  cattle.  They  were  excep¬ 
tional  physical  men,  each  one  of  them  more  than  six  feet, 
straight,  active,  and  alert  as  Indians,  and  every  one 
an  expert  rifleman.  They  all  loved  their  leader  with 
surpassing  loyalty  and  devotion.  Tradition  says  that 
General  Marion  and  a  Continental  officer,  who  had  a  mes¬ 
sage  from  General  Green  to  General  Marion,  were  dis¬ 
cussing  one  day  at  Tarcote  conditions  then  existing  when 
a  body  of  Tories  under  Major  Gillis  appeared  in  the  dis¬ 
tance.  General  Marion  and  the  Continental  officer  stood 
their  ground  but  the  four  Nesmith  brothers  disappeared 
immediately  behind  a  little  milk  house.  Marion 
understood,  but  the  Continental  officer  doubted.  The 
Tories  came  on.  When  their  leader  had  arrived  at  a 


128 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


point  about  three  hundred  yards  from  General  Marion, 
four  rifles  from  behind  the  milk  house  shot  as  one  and  the 
Tory  leader  fell.  His  followers  fled.  General  Marion 
and  the  Continental  officer  walked  up  to  the  body  of  the 
dead  Tory.  General  Marion  placed  his  hand  over  the 
heart  of  the  dead  man  and  asked  the  Continental  officer 
to  locate  the  wound.  The  four  Nesmith  brothers  had  each 
placed  a  bullet  in  the  space  covered  by  Marion’s  hand. 
The  Continental  officer  then  told  General  Marion  that 
he  would  go  back  to  General  Green  and  tell  him  that  the 
swamps  of  South  Carolina  were  safe  for  liberty. 

The  four  captains,  Henry  Mouzon,  Robert  McCottry, 
John  Macauley  and  John  James,  Jr.,  who  organized  the 
companies  forming  the  Williamsburg  battalion  about 
which  Marion’s  Brigade  grew,  are  outstanding  officers 
in  the  War  of  the  Revolution. 

Captain  Mouzon  was  of  French  Huguenot  descent,  had 
been  schooled  in  France,  and  spoke  French  as  fluently 
as  English.  He  was  one  of  the  peculiarly  active  influences 
in  the  amalgamation  of  the  Huguenot  and  the  Scotch- 
Irish  elements  in  Williamsburg.  It  was  largely  due 
to  him  that  these  two  peoples  lived  so  harmoniously  in  the 
first  days  of  contact  and  finally  united  in  the  Americans 
of  the  present  time.  He  was  a  civil  engineer  of  the  first 
rank.  He  made  the  first  map  of  North  and  South  Caro¬ 
lina  drawn  anything  like  to  scale,  which  map  became 
the  basis  of  all  maps  of  these  States  made  since  1775.  It 
was  in  that  year  that  his  map  was  first  published  in  London 
and  afterwards  in  Paris.  He  made  the  first  survey  for 
the  Santee  Canal.  Within  a  month  after  Marion’s  Brigade 
began  its  work,  Captain  Mouzon  was  so  severely  wounded 
in  the  battle  of  Black  Mingo  that  he  could  not  further 
participate  on  the  field.  He  was  buried  in  the  Mouzon 
graveyard  near  where  he  lived  on  Pudding  Swamp. 

Captain  Robert  McCottry  developed,  in  all  probability, 
the  most  effective  fighting  unit  of  his  age.  Tales  of 


SOLDIERS  IN  THE  REVOLUTION 


129 


McCottry ’s  riflemen  told  by  Tarleton  and  Wemyss  and 
Ardesoif  in  London  caused  all  the  world  to  wonder;  and 
it  may  be  that  the  marksmanship  displayed  in  battle  by 
these  men  of  Cedar  Swamp  and  Black  Mingo  has  had 
much  to  do  with  the  careful  training  of  modern  riflemen. 
Captain  McCottry  was  the  leading  man  of  his  organiza¬ 
tion,  from  every  point  of  view.  When  he  fired,  a  victim 
fell.  Many  stories  are  told  of  his  unerring  aim.  One  tale  of 
him  goes :  He  saw  across  Black  River  a  Tory  leader,  raised 
his  rifle,  drew  a  bead  on  the  Tory,  and  the  men  looked  to 
see  the  Tory  fall.  But  Captain  McCottry  lowered  his  rifle 
without  firing.  The  unconscious  Tory  did  not  know.  Three 
times  Captain  McCottry  raised  his  rifle,  and  every  time 
he  refused  to  fire.  His  men  wondered.  “That  Tory  is  one 
of  my  neighbors,  Captain  John  Brockinton,”  he  explained, 
“and  I  cannot  kill  him.”  Captain  McCottry  is  buried  in 
George’s  Field  and  no  stone  marks  his  grave.  McCottry’s 
Lake,  a  favorite  pleasure  ground  of  Williamsburg,  is 
named  for  him. 

Captain  John  Macauley  was  the  conservative  force  in 
the  Williamsburg  battalion.  He  was  of  the  scholar  type. 
It  must  not  be  understood  from  this  statement  that  he 
was  wanting  in  daring,  dash,  and  executive  ability,  for  no 
man  could  have  commanded  his  company  a  single  day 
unless  he  had  these  qualities.  But,  rather,  that  his  un¬ 
derstanding  was  a  positive  factor.  When  Captain 
Macauley  expressed  an  opinion,  his  soldiers  ceased  to 
think  and  translated  it  into  action.  Captain  Macauley 
was  elected  to  the  General  Assembly  for  many  years  after 
the  Revolution,  and  was  of  great  usefulness  and  strength 
in  that  body  while  it  was  building  the  State  on  the  broken 

*Captain  McCottry  was  called  “Robert”  by  his  family  and  his  namesakes  for  gen¬ 
erations  have  been  Roberts.  Family  records  refer  to  him  as  Robert.  He  is  known, 
however,  as  “William”  in  the  South  Carolina  General  Assembly  Journal,  and  so  de¬ 
nominated  by  some  historians  who  have  referred  to  Williamsburg  in  the  Revolu¬ 
tion.  His  name  was  probably  William  Robert  McCottry. 


130 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


colonial  foundation.  He  was  for  some  time  Major  of  the 
upper  Williamsburg  battalion  of  Militia.  He  was  buried 
with  his  fathers  in  the  Frierson  graveyard.  No  stone 
shows  the  spot. 

Captain  John  James,  son  of  Major  John  James,  was 
born  in  1754.  Although  young  and  somewhat  overshad¬ 
owed  by  his  illustrious  father,  Captain  James  was  worthy 
of  his  place  in  the  “Big  Four”  captains  of  Revolutionary 
Williamsburg.  He  was  the  chief  actor  in  many  thrilling 
exploits  during  the  War  wherein  he  added  reputation  for 
valor  to  his  name  and  to  the  lines  of  his  blood.  He  was 
a  soldier  in  the  War  before  the  fall  of  Charleston.  After 
he  had  joined  Marion’s  Brigade,  he  was,  therefore,  out¬ 
lawed  by  the  British.  Once  they  captured  him  and  he 
escaped  the  halter  merely  because  the  British  soldiers 
who  could  identify  him  would  not  testify  against  him. 
He  was  long  a  useful,  substantial  citizen  and  a  ruling  elder 
in  the  Indiantown  Church.  He  was  buried  in  his  church¬ 
yard,  and  his  family  placed  a  tombstone  to  mark  his 
grave. 

Nearly  every  man  in  the  foregoing  lists  of  officers  and 
men  of  Marion’s  Brigade  now  has  descendants  living  in 
Williamsburg  County.  Careful  study  indicates  that  less 
than  one  per  centum  of  the  people  now  living  in  Williams¬ 
burg  have  none  of  the  blood  of  these  heroes  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Revolution  in  the  veins. 


CHAPTER  XII. 


GOVERNMENT  BY  THE  PEOPLE. 

During  the  Revolution,  the  State  of  South  Carolina 
considered  few  matters  than  those  directly  related  to 
prosecuting  the  War  to  its  successful  conclusion.  The 
General  Assembly  did,  however,  virtually  abolish  the  over¬ 
lordship  of  the  Church  of  England.  It  enabled  men  who 
were  not  communicants  of  this  Church  for  the  first  time 
to  hold  official  positions.  This  permitted  the  Scotch-Irish 
to  enter  politics. 

In  1782,  Williamsburg,  or  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish, 
sent  to  the  House  of  Representatives  the  following :  Colonel 
John  Baxter,  Major  John  James,  Major  John  Macauley, 
Captain  Robert  McCottry,  and  Djr.  Thomas  Potts.  All  of 
these  men  were  serving  as  officers  in  the  Revolutionary 
War  at  that  time.  Dr.  Potts  was  a  surgeon  in  Marion’s 
Brigade.  James  Postell  was  the  sixth  member  chosen 
from  Williamsburg,  but  he  was  elected  at  the  same  time 
from  St.  Philip’s  and  St.  Michael’s  Parishes  in  Charles¬ 
ton  and  represented  these  parishes. 

The  General  Assembly  of  1783  began  real  constructive 
work  for  the  permanent  welfare  of  the  State  of  South 
Carolina.  Williamsburg  was  fortunate  in  having  in  this 
Legislature  such  an  able  delegation.  This  General  Assem¬ 
bly  found  the  State  in  a  most  precarious  condition.  The 
people  of  the  state  had  determined  to  form  a  republic 
and  had  little  precedent  for  guiding  them  along  the  way 
they  had  chosen. 

The  Whig  or  Patriot  element  in  the  state,  while  vic¬ 
torious  and  dominating,  had  the  defeated  Tory  faction 
always  present  and  portending  evil  to  the  new  state.  This 
Tory  element  included  most  of  the  men  who  had  theretofore 
governed  the  colony  and  were  therefore  conversant  with 
conditions  and  experienced  in  controlling.  A  majority 


132 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


of  tlie  men  who  lived  in  Beaufort,  Charleston,  and  George¬ 
town  had  opposed  the  Revolution  and  had  remained  loyal 
to  the  Mother  Country  during  that  great  struggle.  The 
“back  country”  in  South  Carolina,  of  which  Williamsburg 
formed  a  part,  was  composed  almost  entirely  of  men  who 
had  favored  the  Revolution  and  fought  the  war  for 
independence  to  its  successful  conclusion.  Beaufort, 
Charleston,  and  Georgetown,  before  the  Revolution,  had 
paid  but  little  attention  to  this  “back  country”  and  this 
“back  country”  had  no  special  bond  of  union  with  these 
places.  When  a  certain  element  of  these  three  cities 
elected  to  remain  loyal  to  England  and  the  men  of  the 
“back  country”  determined  to  struggle  for  independence, 
this  breach  was  widened. 

The  Tories  in  South  Carolina,  while  in  the  minority 
and  defeated  in  war  in  1783,  for  the  most  part  were 
even  then  unwilling  to  accept  the  result  of  the  War  and 
to  enter  enthusiastically  into  the  formation  of  the  inde¬ 
pendent  State  of  South  Carolina.  This  Legislature  of  1783 
had  this  Tory  opposition  to  face.  The  Patriots  were  in 
the  majority  in  the  Legislature,  however,  and  passed  laws 
confiscating  the  property  and  banishing  many  of  the  lead¬ 
ing  Tories  from  South  Carolina.  Of  the  three  Tories  of 
Williamsburg,  Major  Sabb  died  during  the  War;  Major 
Hamilton  left  the  colony  when  the  British  finally  evacu¬ 
ated  Charleston  and  did  not  return;  and  Captain  John 
Brockinton  remained  on  his  plantation  on  Black  Mingo. 
This  Legislature  ordered  that  his  property  be  confiscated 
and  that  he  be  banished.  Immediately  in  1783  upon  the 
passage  of  this  act  naming  him  for  banishment,  he  peti¬ 
tioned  the  General  Assembly  to  waive  the  penalties  pro¬ 
vided  in  the  act  so  far  as  he  was  concerned  and  his  peti¬ 
tion  was  referred  to  the  delegates  from  this  parish  and 
from  Saint  David’s.  Every  member  of  this  committee 
knew  Captain  Brockinton  personally  before  the  War  of 
the  Revolution  and  liked  him. 


GOVERNMENT  BY  THE  PEOPLE 


133 


This  committee,  although  composed  entirely  of  men  who 
had  served  under  Marion,  among  whom  were  Major  John 
James  and  James  Bradley,  took  a  large  view  of  the  whole 
situation,  and  their  decision  to  remove  the  disabilities  im¬ 
posed  upon  Captain  Brockinton  had  much  weight  in  deter¬ 
mining  the  future  liberal  policy  of  the  State  of  South  Caro¬ 
lina  toward  the  Tories.  Perhaps  that  one  act  dissipated 
more  of  the  hatred  then  existing  between  the  Whigs  and 
Tories  in  South  Carolina  than  any  other,  and  opened 
the  way  for  all  men  to  unite  for  the  upbuilding  of  the 
commonwealth.  A  few  of  the  Tories  were  banished  and 
the  estates  of  some  of  them  were  confiscated ;  however,  the 
State  very  soon  began  to  welcome  these  men,  once  so 
hated,  as  valuable  citizens  of  the  new  nation,  which  they 
so  soon  proved  themselves. 

While  a  majority  of  the  people  realized  that  the  Whigs 
and  Tories  were  simply,  in  the  beginning,  two  great  poli¬ 
tical  parties  in  England  and  America,  and  that  a  colonial 
citizen,  in  all  good  conscience,  might  have  espoused  the 
cause  of  the  “Mother  Country,”  some  regarded  the  Tory 
taint  as  ineradicable.  In  1787,  when  a  bill  to  restore  the 
civil  rights  of  a  certain  Tory  was  before  the  General 
Assembly,  the  Williamsburg  delegation  voted  as  follows: 
Aye,  Robert  Paisley,  John  Dickey,  and  Benjamin  Porter; 
Nay,  John  Thompson  Green. 

From  the  close  of  the  Revolution  in  1783  until  South 
Carolina  became  a  member  of  the  Federal  Union  in  1788, 
Williamsburg  was  concerned  primarily  in  working  out  its 
own  economic  salvation.  No  other  section  in  South  Caro¬ 
lina  suffered  so  severely  during  the  Revolution  as  did 
Williamsburg.  When  the  War  began,  Williamsburg  had 
grown  rich  producing  indigo  and  tobacco  and  raising 
cattle  and  sheep.  This  indigo  that  Williamsburg  produced 
was  exported  to  England ;  and,  when  the  War  of  the  Revo¬ 
lution  began  in  South  Carolina,  the  sale  of  indigo  ceased. 
The  one  thing  upon  which  Williamsburg  had  for  so  long 


134 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


depended  for  its  economic  prosperity  failed  all  at  once. 
Its  immense  stock  of  indigo  on  hand  rotted.  Its  indigo 
tanks  decayed  and  its  indigo  fields  grew  into  wild  wood. 
During  the  Revolution,  the  large  herds  of  cattle  that  fed 
and  flourished  along  the  swamps  and  creeks  and  rivers 
emptying  into  Black  River  had  either  been  exhausted  in 
supplying  Marion’s  men  with  beef  or  wantonly  destroyed 
during  the  several  British  campaigns  in  this  district. 

After  the  Revolution,  Williamsburg  had  to  come  again 
almost  from  pioneer  conditions.  Of  course,  pessimists 
preached  that  the  end  had  come,  but  this  district  then 
evidenced  its  most  striking  recuperative  powers,  which 
have  been  evident  ever  since  in  the  many  calamitous  con¬ 
ditions  that  have  befallen  the  section.  For  several  years, 
the  men  of  Williamsburg  paid  especial  attention  to  cattle 
raising,  and,  within  a  few  seasons,  many  were  abundantly 
rewarded.  It  is  said  that  Captain  John  Nelson,  whose 
home  was  burned,  whose  plantation  was  destroyed,  and 
whose  cattle  were  all  lost  in  the  Wemyss  destruction  of 
1780,  by  1790  was  marking  more  than  a  thousand  calves 
every  season,  while  in  other  sections  of  the  district,  Major 
John  James,  Major  John  Nesmith,  William  Wilson,  Ben¬ 
jamin  Screven,  Alexander  McCrea,  and  John  Snow  owned 
herds  as  large  as  Captain  Nelson.  Ready  markets  for 
these  cattle  were  found  in  Charleston  and  Georgetown. 
They  were  driven  by  cow  boys  across  Murray’s  Ferry  to 
Charleston  and  Brown’s  Ferry  to  Georgetown. 

Much  tobacco  was  grown  in  Williamsburg  immediately 
after  the  War  and  was  a  source  of  great  revenue.  Some 
cotton  for  market  was  grown  on  the  Santee.  Rice  for 
plantation  use  was  grown  all  over  the  section,  but  only 
along  Big  Dam  Swamp  was  it  produced  in  marketable 
quantities. 

The  State  Convention  for  the  purpose  of  considering 
and  ratifying  or  rejecting  the  Constitution  framed  for 
the  United  States  by  a  Convention  of  Delegates  assembled 


GOVERNMENT  BY  THE  PEOPLE 


135 


in  Philadelphia  in  May,  1787,  met  in  Charleston  on  May 
12,  1788.  One  hundred  delegates  from  the  various  dis¬ 
tricts  in  South  Carolina  were  present.  The  members  of 
this  Convention  from  Williamsburg,  or  Prince  Frederick’s 
Parish,  as  it  was  then  called,  were  William  Wilson,  Pat¬ 
rick  Dollard,  Alexander  Tweed,  William  Frierson,  Wil¬ 
liam  Reed,  James  Pettigrew,  and  John  Burgess,  Jr.  A 
temporary  organization  was  effected  and  the  Convention 
adjourned  until  the  following  day.  When  it  reassembled, 
there  were  two  hundred  twenty-four  delegates  present. 
General  Thomas  Sumter  moved  the  postponement  of  fur¬ 
ther  consideration  of  the  proposed  Constitution,  which 
motion  was  lost.  Ayes,  89,  and  nays,  135.  The  delegates 
from  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish  voted  as  follows :  Patrick 
Dollard,  William  Reed,  James  Pettigrew,  and  John  Bur¬ 
gess,  Jr.,  aye;  William  Wilson,  Alexander  Tweed  and 
William  Frierson,  nay. 

This  Convention  considered  in  detail  every  article  of  the 
proposed  Constitution.  William  Wilson  of  Williamsburg 
was  appointed  a  member  of  the  committee  of  seven  from 
this  South  Carolina  Convention  to  suggest  to  Congress 
amendments  to  this  Constitution.  One  of  the  points  most 
feared  was  its  failure  to  limit  the  eligibility  of  the  Presi¬ 
dent  of  the  United  States  to  re-election  after  the  expiration 
of  one  term  of  four  years.  This  section  was  hotly  con¬ 
tested.  It  was  urged  that  the  failure  to  limit  the  Presi¬ 
dent  to  one  term  of  four  years  was  dangerous  to  the  lib¬ 
erties  of  the  people  and  calculated  to  perpetuate  in  one 
person  during  life  the  high  authority  and  influence  that 
inheres  in  the  chief  magistracy;  and  that  in  a  short  time 
unlimited  terms  of  office  for  the  President  would  termi¬ 
nate  in  a  hereditary  monarchy.  The  Convention  voted  on 
a  resolution  to  limit  the  tenure  of  the  President  to  one 
term  of  four  years.  The  final  vote  stood :  ayes,  G8,  and 
nays,  139.  The  delegates  from  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish 
voted  as  follows:  William  Wilson,  William  Frierson,  and 


136 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


James  Pettigrew,  nay;  Patrick  Dollard,  William  Reed,  and 
John  Burgess,  Jr.,  aye.  The  following  resolution  was 
passed :  “This  Convention  doth  declare  that  no  section 
or  paragraph  of  the  said  Constitution  warrants  a  construc¬ 
tion  that  the  states  do  not  retain  all  powers  not  expressly 
relinquished  by  them  and  vested  in  the  General  Govern¬ 
ment  of  the  Union.” 

South  Carolina  ratified  the  proposed  United  States 
Constitution  on  May  23,  1788,  the  vote  of  the  Convention 
being  ayes,  149,  and  nays,  73.  The  delegates  from  WiL 
liamsburg  voted  as  follows:  For  ratification,  William 
Wilson,  Alexander  Tweed,  William  Frierson,  James 
Pettigrew;  against  ratification,  Patrick  Dollard,  William 
Reed,  John  Burgess,  Jr.  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  four 
of  the  seven  delegates  from  Williamsburg  in  the  South 
Carolina  Constitutional  Convention  of  1788  voted  for  the 
ratification  of  the  United  States  Constitution  as  adopted 
by  the  Thirteen  States  and  three  voted  against  it.  The 
four  delegates  who  voted  for  ratification  were  sons  of 
original  settlers  who  came  from  Ireland  to  Williamsburg 
in  1736  and  were  Scotch-Irish ;  the  three  delegates  who 
voted  against  ratification  had  themselves  come  directly 
from  Ireland  to  Williamsburg  about  1770  and  were  of 
Irish  ancestry.  William  Wilson  was  one  of  the  leaders 
of  the  Convention  for  ratification;  while  Patrick  Dollard 
was  especially  earnest  and  eloquent  in  opposing  South 
Carolina’s  entering  the  Union. 

In  1788,  South  Carolina  had  been  a  free  and  indepen¬ 
dent  republic  for  twelve  years.  A  very  substantial  mi¬ 
nority  of  its  people  most  vigorously  opposed  the  surrender 
of  one  jot  or  tittle  of  its  sovereignty. 


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CHAPTER  XIII. 


THE  TOWN  OF  WILLIAMSBURG,  1788. 

In  1730,  when  King  George  contemplated  the  estab¬ 
lishment  of  a  township  on  Black  River,  which  afterwards 
was  named  Williamsburg,  and  the  others  in  the  colony, 
he  had  in  mind  the  townships  that  he  had  formed  in 
New  England  and  their  development.  He  believed  that  he 
could  establish  these  townships  on  the  rivers  in  South 
Carolina  and  that  they  would  work  out  their  own  salva¬ 
tion  in  the  same  manner  and  after  the  same  plan  as  those 
in  Xew  England.  The  settlers  in  Xew  England  built 
their  pioneer  homes  close  together  in  little  towns.  Each 
householder  held  a  half-acre  lot  in  the  town  on  which  he 
lived  and  a  tract  of  land  in  the  vicinity  of  the  town  whereon 
he  raised  his  crops.  The  waste  land  in  these  Xew  Eng¬ 
land  communities  formed  a  commons  on  which  everybody 
grazed  cattle  and  from  which  everyone  secured  the 
fire  wood  and  lumber  required  for  general  purposes. 

So,  when  Williamsburg  township  on  the  bank  of  Black 
River  in  South  Carolina  was  laid  out  and  established, 
the  King  decreed  that  each  settler  should  have  a  one-half 
acre  lot  in  the  proposed  town  and  a  grant  of  land  within 
the  township,  believing  that  the  settlers  who  came  would 
dwell  in  the  town  and  would  go  out  every  morning  to 
their  plantations  in  the  township.  But  those  settlers  who 
came  to  Williamsburg  between  1730  and  1745  built  their 
homes  on  their  respective  plantations  in  the  township  and 
paid  practically  no  attention  to  their  half-acre  lots  granted 
them  within  the  town.  The  fact  is  that  until  1788,  within 
the  township  of  Williamsburg  as  surveyed,  there  was 
practically  nothing  except  a  cleared  space  whereon  the 
Court  House  now  stands,  which  was  used  as  a  parade 
and  muster  ground  for  the  Colonial  Militia,  and  a  race 
track  in  the  northeast  portion  of  the  town  whereon  horses 


138 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  men  frequently  were  tried  in  athletic  games  for  the 
amusement  and  entertainment  of  the  people  of  the  town¬ 
ship.  The  plot  of  land  in  the  town  granted  to  the  Church 
of  England  had  been  cleared  of  pine  trees. 

There  were  in  the  town  in  1788  five  small  buildings, 
not  one  of  them  more  than  20  x  20  feet.  Two  of  them 
were  located  about  where  the  Wee  Nee  Bank  now  stands. 
In  one  of  these,  William  Braeey  lived;  in  the  other  he 
kept  a  mercantile  establishment.  His  stock  of  merchan¬ 
dise  usually  consisted  of  one  barrel  of  whiskey,  one  bag 
of  buckshot,  one  bag  of  squirrel  shot,  one  bag  of  turkey 
shot,  one  keg  of  powder,  a  few  tallow  candles,  and  a  few 
sealing  wax  wafers.  Occasionally,  when  an  especially 
prosperous  season  indicated  a  good  trade,  he  would  add 
five  pounds  of  linen  writing  paper  to  his  stock  of  goods. 
Powder  and  shot  and  whiskey  were  the  only  salable  articles 
all  the  year  round.  On  the  other  side  of  Broad  Street 
were  three  little  houses.  Patrick  Cormick  lived  in  one 
of  these.  It  was  located  about  where  the  Hammett  resi¬ 
dence  now  stands.  He  had  a  little  store  near  his  home, 
which  store  was  similar  to  that  of  William  Braeey  across 
the  street.  John  Brady  lived  in  a  little  house  about 
where  the  Court  House  now  is.  There  were  some  remains 
of  old  indigo  vats  to  the  rear  of  the  Court  House  lot, 
about  where  the  office  of  Kelley  and  Hinds  now  stands. 
At  that  time,  the  Branch  ran  through  the  town  a  few 
feet  west  of  where  is  now  located  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line 
station. 

Outside  of  the  town  as  surveyed  and  on  the  road  to 
Black  Mingo  about  half  wav  betAveen  the  King’s  Tree  and 
the  Presbyterian  Meeting  Houses  was  the  James  David- 
son  settlement,  where  the  Harper  home  now  is.  This 
was  one  of  the  most  pretentious  mansion  houses  in  the 
district.  Further  east  along  the  Black  Mingo  road  and 
where  it  was  crossed  by  the  Cheraw-Santee  road  was 
located  the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  churchyard.  There 


THE  TOWN  OF  WILLIAMSBURG,  1788  139 


were  two  Presbyterian  Churches  on  this  lot  at  this  time. 
The  road  from  Darlington  to  Santee  did  not  then  curve 
eastward  as  now  when  it  reached  the  churchyard,  but 
went  straight  through  the  lot,  passing  directly  east  of 
the  front  door  of  the  original  Williamsburg  Church.  On 
the  East  side  of  this  road  and  about  fifty  yards  directly 
east  of  the  original  Williamsburg  Church  was  the  other 
Presbyterian  Congregation’s  house  of  worship.  It  will 
be  remembered  that  the  original  Williamsburg  Presby¬ 
terian  Congregation  had  divided  in  1786  and  these  two 
churches  were  the  meeting  houses  of  the  respective  fac¬ 
tions. 

From  the  foregoing,  it  will  be  seen  that  more  than 
fifty  years  had  not  made  a  town  at  the  King’s  Tree,  as 
seemed  so  desirable  and  necessary.  This  King’s  Tree  was 
the  central  point  in  Williamsburg.  It  was  on  Black  River, 
which  was  still  regarded  as  a  natural  outlet  to  the  sea, 
and  all  roads  in  Williamsburg  led  to  the  King’s  Tree. 
The  King’s  Tree  was  therefore  the  logical  point  in  the 
district  for  establishing  the  seat  of  government. 

On  March  12,  1785,  the  General  Assembly  created  “one 
other  county  beginning  at  Lenud’s  Perry  on  Santee  River, 
thence  along  said  river  to  the  parish  line,  thence  along  said 
line  to  Lynch’s  Creek,  thence  along  said  creek  to  Great  Pee 
Dee  River,  thence  along  said  river  to  Britton’s  Perry, 
thence  along  the  boundary  of  Winyaw  County  to  the 
beginning,  and  shall  be  known  by  the  name  of  Williams¬ 
burg  County.” 

In  1788,  the  General  Assembly  of  South  Carolina  passed 
an  ordinance  authorizing  and  appointing  commissioners 
to  resurvey  and  lay  out  the  town  of  Williamsburg  in  the 
District  of  Georgetown.  “Be  it  ordained,  Iry  the  Honor¬ 
able,  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives,  in  General 
Assembly  met,  and  by  authority  of  the  same,  that  the 
persons  herein  named,  to  wit:  John  Macauley,  John  Bur¬ 
gess,  Sr.,  James  Witherspoon,  Jr.,  William  Frierson, 


140 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


John  Scott,  Robert  McConnell,  Thomas  McConnell,  James 
Fleming,  Sr.,  and  Robert  Frierson,  shall  be  commission¬ 
ers,  and  have  authority  to  cause  to  be  resurveyed  and 
laid  out  in  half-acre  lots  all  that  parcel  of  land  allotted 
by  law  for  the  town  of  Williamsburgh,  in  Georgetown 
District,  and  bounding  as  follows,  viz. :  on  the  southwest, 
by  Black  River;  on  the  northwest,  by  land  of  John  Scott; 
on  the  northeast,  by  lands  of  James  Witherspoon,  Jr., 
and  Moses  Gordon;  and  on  the  southeast  by  the  lands  of 
Thomas  Lansdale. 

“And  as  sundry  grants  of  land  had  passed  between  the 
year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  thirty,  and  the 
year  one  thousand  seven  hundred  and  forty-five,  under  the 
name  of  bounty  lands,  the  proprietors  whereof  were  en¬ 
titled  to  lots  in  the  said  town,  many  of  which  lots  were 
not  laid  out  or  ascertained  to  the  proprietors;  be  it  or¬ 
dained  by  the  authority  aforesaid  that  all  proprietors  of 
lands  under  the  said  description  and  having  a  right  to  a 
lot  or  lots  in  the  said  town,  shall  within  six  months  after 
the  passing  of  the  Ordinance,  make  known  to  the  said 
commissioners  their  claims  by  producing  their  titles  to 
enable  their  commissioners  to  assign  each  claimant  the 
quantity  he  is  entitled  to;  and  thereupon  the  commis¬ 
sioners  shall  locate  and  lay  out  the  same  in  such  manner 
as  shall  be  reasonable.  The  said  commissioners  shall  re¬ 
serve  such  lots  as  they  shall  deem  necessary  for  two 
churches,  for  a  public  school,  market  house,  and  other 
public  purposes,  and  shall  sell  or  dispose  of  the  residue  by 
public  auction  or  otherwise  as  they  shall  deem  most  ad¬ 
vantageous.  And  the  moneys  arising  therefrom,  after 
paying  the  surveyor  and  other  necessary  charges,  shall 
be  appropriated  for  establishing  a  public  school  for 
the  education  of  youth  in  the  said  town,  under  the  direc¬ 
tion  of  the  said  commissioners. 

“And  be  it  further  ordained  by  the  authority  aforesaid 
that  any  five  of  the  said  commissioners  shall  have  ail- 


THE  TOWN  OF  WILLIAMSBURG,  1788  141 


thority  to  act  under  this  Ordinance,  and  to  fill  any  vacan¬ 
cies  which  may  happen  by  the  death,  refusal,  or  removal 
of  any  of  the  other  commissioners. 

“And  be  it  further  ordained  by  the  authority  aforesaid 
that  if  any  person  shall  be  sued  for  anything  done  by  virtue 
of  this  Ordinance,  he  may  plead  the  general  issue  and  give 
this  Ordinance  and  the  special  matter  in  evidence.”  (In 
the  Senate  House,  the  twenty-seventh  day  of  February, 
1788.  John  Lloyd,  President  of  the  Senate.  John  J. 
Pringle,  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives.) 

This  board  of  commissioners  met  at  the  King’s  Tree 
on  Monday,  December  8,  1788.  There  were  present  John 
Burgess,  Sr.,  James  Fleming,  John  Macauley,  Robert  Mc¬ 
Connell,  James  Witherspoon,  Jr.,  William  Frierson,  Sr., 
Thomas  McConnell.  The  first  act  of  the  board  was  to 
elect  John  Dickey  a  commissioner  “in  the  room  of  John 
Scott,”  who  had  died  between  the  time  of  his  appointment 
by  the  General  Assembly  and  the  first  meeting  of  the 
board.  The  board  employed  John  Burgess,  Jr.,  and 
Robert  Witherspoon,  surveyors,  to  resurvey  and  lay  out 
the  town  of  Williamsburg  according  to  the  plat  made  by 
Anthony  Williams  in  1737,  which  plat  was  delivered  to 
them.  The  board  then  adjourned  to  meet  at  the  King’s 
Tree  on  March  25,  1789,  for  the  purpose  of  assigning  to 
rightful  claimants  lots  within  the  town  of  Williams¬ 
burg  granted  between  the  years  1730  and  1745,  and  on 
the  day  following  to  sell  all  lots  not  claimed.  The  com¬ 
missioners  advertised  their  action  and  invited  the  original 
grantees  of  these  half-acre  lots  in  the  town  of  Williams¬ 
burg  to  come  forward  and  establish  their  claims,  warning 
them  that  all  lots  not  claimed  would  be  sold  at  public 
vendue. 

Until  this  time,  practically  no  attention  had  been  paid 
to  these  half-acre  lots  by  their  owners,  but  this  advertise¬ 
ment  of  the  commissioners  stirred  all  Williamsburg  from 
center  to  circumference.  Every  original  settler  in  the 


142 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


district  immediately  searched  his  home  for  his  grant  of 
land  in  the  township  and  his  half-acre  town  ]ot.  Most 
of  these  old  papers  had  been  lost  or  destroyed,  so  many 
men  in  Williamsburg  went  to  Charleston  to  see  if  they 
could  secure  a  copy  of  the  grants  made  to  them  entitling 
them  to  these  half-acre  lots. 

When  the  commissioners  met  on  March  25,  1789,  all 
Williamsburg  was  there  to  present  claims  for  these 
lots.  Here  follows  a  list  of  claims  allowed : 


Granted 

in  Persons  granted  to  Present  Proprietors  Lot  No. 


1735 

1734 

1733 

1735 
1735 

1735 
1742 
.1736 

1736 

1734 

1735 

1736 
1736 
1735 

1735 

1736 
1736 
1736 

1734 
1736 

1736 
1738 

1735 
1735 

1735 

1738 
1745 

1739 

1737 
1734 

1736 
1734 


James  Gamble  .... 
James  Bradley  .... 

Robert  Ervin  . 

Richard  Middleton  . 

Robert  Young  . 

James  Law  . 

John  Borland  . 

Crafton  Kerwin  . . . 
William  Troublefield 

John  Moore  . 

Hugh  Graham . . 

Edward  Plowden  . . , 
William  Chambey  . . 

John  Boling  . 

Jane  McClelland  . . 
David  Johnston  .... 
John  Anderson  .... 
Nathaniel  Drew  . . . 

David  Wilson  . 

Daniel  Mooney . 

Mary  McElroy  . 

John  Anderson . 

Richard  Hall  . 

William  Hamilton  .  , 
John  Whitfield  . . . . : 
William  James 

John  McBride . . 

Francis  Goddard  . .  , 
John  McElveen 
William  Wilson  . . . . 

John  Porter  . 

David  Witherspoon  . 


Heirs  Will  Gamble  . 147 

James  Bradley  . 228 

Robert  Ervin  . 235 

Ebenezer  Gibson  .  99 

Samuel  Wilson . 320 

Isaac  Barrineau  . 272 

Heirs  Will  McConnell  . 205 

James  Blakely,  Jr . 353 

Thomas  McCants  .  42 

Sarah  Witherspoon  . 392 

(  276 

John  McClary  J  234 

I  70 

Heirs  David  Witherspoon . 140 

Heirs  David  Witherspoon . 288 

Heirs  John  Scott  . 292 

Heirs  John  Scott  . 253 

Matthew  Camlin  . 139 

William  Wilson . 154 

f  289 

Gavin  Witherspoon  J  294 

{  391 

William  Heathley  . 237 

Samuel  Adair  . 390 

Robert  McConnell  . 249 

James  Witherspoon  . 341 

John  Macauley  . 2S0 

John  Burgess  . 257 

Hugh  McCullough  . 373 

John  Wilson  . 214 

John  Wilson  . 260 

William  Bracey  . 236 


THE  TOWN  OF  WILLIAMSBURG,  1788  143 


Granted 

in  Persons  granted  to 

1736  Roger  Gordon  . 

1739  John  Baxter  . 

1736  John  Jamison  . 

1736  Gavin  Witherspoon  .... 
1736  John  Witherspoon  .... 

1736  James  McClelland  . 

1736  Margaret  Barr  . 

1735  Thomas  Farrington  . . . 

1739  Francis  Goddard  . 

1736  William  James  . 

1735  William  James  . 

1735  John  Fleming  . 

1741  Archibald  Hamilton  . . . 

1736  James  Armstrong  . 

1734  James  Witherspoon  . . . 

1740  Archibald  McKee . 

1735  Crafton  Kerwin  . 

1735  John  Baxter  . 

1735  James  Fisher  . 

1736  Roger  Gibson  . 

1737  John  Pressley  . 


Presents  Proprietors 
Heirs,  J 


Robert  Witherspoon  j 

Joseph  Scott  . 

John  McBride  . 

James  Fleming,  Sr. 
James  Fleming,  Sr.  . . 
James  Fleming,  Sr.  . . . 
James  Fleming,  Sr. 
Cong.  Williamsburgh  . 
Heirs  Thomas  Lansdale 

John  M.  Kinder  . 

John  Boyd  . 

William  Frierson,  Sr.  . 

Ruffin  Taylor  . 

Thomas  McConnell  . . . 
James  Witherspoon,  Jr. 
William  Frierson,  Jr.  . 


Lot  No. 


243 

369 

2S1 

3S2 

48 

232 

233 
307 
293 
208 
247 

41 

245 

204 

225 

215 

203 

309 

362 

,259 


It  was  decided  to  allow  until  April  16,  1789,  to  others 
to  present  their  claims  to  titles  to  town  lots  and  on  that 
day  to  sell  those  not  claimed.  Seven  lots  were  claimed 
under  original  grants  on  April  16,  1789,  as  follows: 


Date  Granted  to  Present  Proprietors  Lot  No. 

1735  William  Cochran  . 1  1  210 

1734  Jane  Ross  . I  Samuel  McClelland  J  302 

1735  Theodore  Monk  . J  j  235 

1735  Andrew  Rutledge . Heirs,  Thomas  Frierson  and 

Isaac  McKnight  . 184 

1735  James  Scott  . 1  (  291 

1736  John  Blakely  . I  Congregation  Williamsburg  J  297 

1736  James  Blakely  .  j  318 


John  Dickey  was  selected  vendue  master  and  allowed 
five  per  centum  commissions.  The  following  lots  were 
sold : 


Persons  Names 

Lot  No. 

£. 

s. 

Archibald  Connor  . 

.  7 

2 

10 

Samuel  Kennedy  resold  . 

.  8 

o 

5 

Isaac  Matthews  . 

. 10 

1 

15 

Robert  Full  wood  . 

. 11 

1 

5 

p. 

6 

6 


( 


144 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Persons  Names 

Lot  No. 

f. 

S. 

P. 

Irvin  Dawson  . 

. 12 

1 

11 

•  • 

James  Heathley  to  James  Gowdy 

. 14 

.  • 

13 

•  • 

Adam  Connor  . 

. 15 

1 

3 

•  * 

Adam  Connor  . 

. 16 

1 

13 

•  • 

Adam  Connor  . 

. 27 

1 

1 

9 

Robert  Fullwood  . 

. 30 

•  • 

11 

9 

Robert  Fullwood  . 

. 31 

1 

2 

9 

James  McCullough . 

. 32 

2 

•  • 

6 

Ebenezer  Gibson  . 

. 33 

1 

3 

•  • 

Samuel  Kennedy  . 

. 34 

2 

15 

•  • 

Archibald  Connor  . 

3 

6 

•  • 

Hugh  McCullough  . 

. 36 

3 

10 

•  • 

Hugh  McCullough  . 

. 37 

3 

11 

2 

John  Macauley  . 

. 43 

1 

16 

6 

James  McBride  . 

. 44 

2 

3 

6 

John  Humphreys  . 

. 46 

3 

2 

6 

James  Witherspoon  . 

. 47 

3 

2 

. . 

John  Humphreys  . 

. 49 

1 

1 

2 

Andrew  Early  . 

. 50 

•  • 

15 

1 

Andrew  Early  . 

. 51 

•  • 

15 

2 

James  McConnell  . 

. 20 

3 

•  • 

2 

After  this  sale,  the 

clerk  was 

ordered 

to 

advertise 

the  sale  of  all  vacant 

lots  remaining  unclaimed 

to  be 

held  at  the  King’s  Tree 

on  Captain  James  Witherspoon’s 

Muster  Day  on  June  11,  1789.  A 
sold  on  this  day  as  follows : 

number 

of 

lots 

were 

Persons  Names 

Lot  No. 

f. 

s. 

p. 

Isaac  Nelson  . 

. 74 

3 

li 

#  # 

George  McConnell  . 

. 75 

9 

+4 

10 

•  • 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. 76 

1 

12 

m  # 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. 77 

1 

1 

John  McClary  . 

. 79 

3 

•  • 

6 

John  McClary  . 

. SO 

3 

•  • 

6 

John  McClary  . 

. 81 

2 

2 

6 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. 82 

16 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. 83 

13 

. . 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. 84 

11 

6 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. no 

10 

6 

James  Bradley  . 

. 115 

14 

James  Witherspoon,  Jr . 

. 114 

2 

10 

•  • 

Thomas  McConnell  . 

. 105 

3 

7 

•  • 

John  Wilson  . 

2 

4 

•  • 

James  Witherspoon,  Jr . 

. 106 

5 

16 

6 

THE  TOWN 

OF  WILLIAMSBURG, 

1788 

145 

Persons  Names 

Lot  No. 

£. 

s. 

p. 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. 98 

6 

John  Burgess,  Jr . 

. 97 

10 

John  Burgess,  Jr . 

. 96 

5 

John  Burgess,  Jr . 

. 95 

6 

John  Burgess,  Jr . 

. 93 

5 

John  Wilson  . 

. 60 

5 

6 

John  Wilson  . 

. 62 

4 

6 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. 63 

5 

John  Burgess,  Jr . 

. 64 

4 

Samuel  Douglass  . 

. 65 

4 

8 

Samuel  Douglass  . 

. 66 

5 

John  McClary  . 

. 67 

7 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. 68 

19 

Samuel  Maxwell  . 

. ..69 

1 

10 

Thomas  McConnell  . 

. 70 

3 

#  # 

Robert  McConnell  . 

. 71 

3 

18 

6 

Robert  McConnell  . 

. 72 

4 

2 

James  Burgess  . 

. 73 

5 

17 

Robert  Gamble  . 

. 137 

4 

18 

Robert  Gamble . 

. 138 

#  , 

8 

5 

Robert  Gamble  . 

. 141 

2 

10 

James  Burgess  . 

. 142 

3 

o 

6 

William  Law  . 

. 143 

1 

1 

6 

Michael  Harding  . 

. 144 

1 

2 

•  • 

For  some  time  the  titles  to  the  town  lots  that  were 
being  sold  were  questioned  and  the  board  adjourned  until 
the  advice  of  attorneys  could  be  secured.  In  1790,  Major 
John  Macauley,  a  commissioner,  died,  and  on  January  4, 
1791,  Lieutenant  Joseph  Scott  was  elected  to  succeed  him. 
At  the  meeting  of  the  commissioners  held  at  the  house  of 
James  Alexander  on  August  1,  1791,  there  were  present 
John  Burgess,  James  Fleming,  James  Witherspoon,  Wil¬ 
liam  Frierson,  Robert  Frierson,  Robert  McConnell,  Thomas 
McConnell,  and  Joseph  Scott.  At  this  meeting,  Thomas 
Williams  was  elected  a  commissioner  “in  the  room  of” 
John  Dickey.  Robert  Witherspoon  was  paid  £12.  3s.  and 
6p.  for  surveying  the  town  of  Williamsburg;  John  Flem¬ 
ing  Avas  paid  £1.  12s.  and  8p.  for  chain  carrying;  William 
Douglass  was  paid  £2.  2p.  for  chain  carrying;  William 
Bracey  was  paid  £2.  5s.  and  2p.  for  sundries  (liquors)  ; 


146 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Samuel  Douglass  was  paid  9s.  4p.  for  serving  liquor  on 
two  of  the  sales  days.  The  commissioners  voted  at  this 
meeting  to  fine  any  commissioner  £1.  sterling  for  being 
absent  at  any  meeting  of  the  commissioners. 

At  the  meeting  of  the  commissioners  held  on  September 
5,  the  following  men  were  given  titles  to  certain  town 
lots:  Samuel  Maxwell,  James  Witherspoon,  John  Mc- 
Clary,  John  Wilson,  James  Bradley,  Samuel  Douglass, 
James  Burgess,  John  Burgess,  John  McBride,  William 
Bracev,  George  Gamble,  James  Gilbraith,  Michael  Hardy, 
Robert  McConnell.  Robert  McConnell  was  paid  £7.  18s. 
and  8p.  for  drawing  up  deeds  to  the  lots  sold  to  the  above 
named  men.  William  Bracey  presented  an  account  as 
follows :  To  6  gals,  rum  at  7s. — £2.  2s.  Op. ;  1  quire  of  paper, 
2s.  Op. ;  1  box  wafers,  Is.  2p.  This  bill  was  paid.  After 
the  payment  of  this  bill,  Captain  William  Frierson  re¬ 
signed  and  “declined  to  act  as  commissioner  any  more.” 
It  is  believed  that  Captain  Frierson  was  a  prohibitionist 
and  that  he  did  not  approve  of  the  use  of  liquors  at  the 
sale  of  the  town  lots  nor  at  the  meetings  of  the  com¬ 
missioners. 

At  the  next  meeting,  Robert  Frierson  and  Thomas  Wil¬ 
liams  resigned,  and  James  Witherspoon  had  died.  James 
Burgess,  John  McClary,  Captain  John  Fulton,  and  Robert 
Witherspoon  were  duly  elected  to  fill  the  vacancies.  Robert 
Witherspoon  and  John  McClary  were  chosen  to  lay  off 
and  stake  every  lot  in  the  town  of  Williamsburg,  since 
the  former  stakes  had  fallen  down.  These  men  were  re¬ 
quired  to  lay  off  one-half  acre  lots  in  each  corner  of  the 
Parade  Ground.  On  the  24th  of  October,  1792,  it  being 
Captain  Jones’  Muster  Day,  the  commissioners  sold  the 


following  lots : 

Persons  Names  Lot  No.  f.  S.  P. 

John  Humphrey  . 423  4  2  6 

Robert  Hanna  . 421  3  4 

James  Tisdale  . 422  5 

Samuel  Snowden  . 420  4  12 


THE  TOWN  OF  WILLIAMSBURG,  1788  147 


Persons  Names  Lot  No.  £.  S.  P. 

Benjamin  Durant  . 401  3  18 

James  Fleming,  Sr . 402  3  14 

James  Fleming,  Sr . 403  2  5  6 

James  Fleming,  Sr . 404  2  11 

James  Fleming,  Sr . 405  ..  8 


On  April  10,  1793,  John  Burgess  declined  to  act  as 
commissioner  of  the  town,  and  Robert  Ervin  was  elected 
in  his  place.  On  January  2,  1796,  George  McConnell  was 
elected  commissioner  in  the  place  of  Robert  McConnell, 
deceased.  An  August  30,  1800,  Captain  John  Fulton 
resigned  as  commissioner  and  Captain  Samuel  Malcolmson 
was  appointed  in  his  place.  Robert  Ervin  and  James 
Fleming  had  died  prior  to  this  meeting  and  William 
Flagler  and  Robert  Hamilton  were  appointed  to  succeed 
them.  On  November  27,  1800,  the  Board  met  at  Mr. 
Robert  Hamilton’s.  There  were  present  Captain  William 
Flagler,  Chairman,  John  McClary,  Robert  Hamilton, 
George  McConnell,  Thomas  McConnell,  James  Burgess, 
and  Joseph  Scott.  Captain  Samuel  Malcolmson  was 
absent. 

On  February  25,  1801,  lot  No.  425  was  set  apart  for  a 
market  house.  At  this  time,  Captain  Samuel  Malcolmson, 
George  McConnell,  Robert  Hamilton,  and  John  McClary 
were  appointed  a  committee  to  have  the  town  resurveyed 
entirely  and  it  was  resolved  to  advertise  in  the  George¬ 
town  Gazette  that  all  persons  claiming  land  in  the  town 
should  come  forward  and  present  their  claims  and  take 
possession  of  them  on  or  before  April  22,  1802. 

On  April  30,  1801,  John  McClary  resigned  as  commis¬ 
sioner  and  Eliphalet  H.  Hewitt  Avas  appointed  in  his  place. 
James  Burgess  resigned  and  Captain  James  Campbell  suc¬ 
ceeded  him.  At  the  meeting  on  August  22,  1801,  it  was 
resolved  that  no  person  should  further  trespass  on  the 
public  lots  in  the  town  and  that  a  man  be  appointed  to 
keep  the  streets  open.  It  was  also  resolved  that  any  person 
who  had  planted  any  public  lots  in  the  town  under  fence 


148 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


should  pay  the  sum  of  2s.  4p.  per  year  per  lot.  On  Janu¬ 
ary  1,  1802,  the  Reverend  James  Malcolmson  offered  the 
board  $2.00  for  each  of  the  unclaimed  sixty  one-half  acre 
lots  on  the  south  side  of  Broad  Street  (Main)  on  both 
sides  of  the  Branch.  The  board  accepted  this  offer  and 
made  quit  claim  deeds  for  each  one  of  these  sixty  lots. 
On  August  19,  1803,  Arthur  Cunningham  was  elected  in 
the  place  of  George  McConnell  and  made  clerk  and  treas¬ 
urer  of  the  board. 

In  1801,  Robert  Frierson  made  a  survey  and  drew  a 
map  of  the  “Town  of  Williamsburg”  at  the  King’s  Tree. 
As  originally  platted,  the  two  blocks  in  the  centre  of  the 
proposed  town  had  been  reserved  for  the  parade  ground 
and  the  churchyard,  and  Broad  Street  had  not  been 
planned  to  divide  this  reservation.  Frierson’s  map  shows 
Broad  (Main)  Street  passing  through  this  reservation 
eastward,  and  that  the  parade  ground  had  been  limited 
to  two  lots — that  land  east  of  Main  Street  between  Acad¬ 
emy  and  Long  Streets.  The  Williamsburg  Court  House 
now  stands  on  this  lot.  The  churchyard,  as  then  reserved, 
was  one  hundred  and  five  feet  in  breadth  from  Academy 
to  Long  Streets  of  present  Kingstree.  Heller’s  stables 
stand  on  a  part  of  this  land. 

The  market  house  lot  was  set  apart  at  the  corner  of 
present  Main  and  Long  Streets  where  Miss  Andy 
Lockamy’s  home  stands.  Lots  420,  where  the  Post  Office 
now  stands;  421,  Silverman’s  building,  occupied  by  Mc¬ 
Intosh  Motor  Company ;  422,  Long  Street  tenements ;  423, 
Kellahan  brick  stores  on  Academy  Street;  and  424,  Bank 
of  Kingstree;  all  were  taken  from  the  parade  ground  and 
churchyard  reservations  and  sold  to  individuals. 

On  this  Map  of  1801,  the  present  Kingstree  Main  Street 
is  known  as  Broad;  Mill  as  Washington:  Church  as 
Adams;  and  Brooks  as  Jefferson.  Beginning  at  the  river, 
streets  running  North  and  South  were  numbered  serially. 
Academy  Street  was  then  called  Fourth  Street.  Later, 


THE  TOWN  OF  WILLIAMSBURG,  1788  149 


it  was  named  Bay  Street.  In  1805,  the  commissioners 
set  apart  a  lot  where  the  residence  of  W.  I.  Nexsen  stands 
for  a  public  school  and  a  building  was  erected  thereon. 
This  academy  finally  gave  the  name  to  this  handsome 
residence  street  in  Kingstree. 

On  January  15,  1805,  Joseph  Scott  was  chairman  of 
the  board  and  Arthur  Cunningham,  secretary  and  treas¬ 
urer.  Arthur  Cunningham  was  appointed  agent  to  carry 
on  a  suit  against  T.  T.  WToods  for  conspiracy.  The  com¬ 
mission  had  on  November  27,  1800,  employed  T.  T.  Woods 
as  surveyor  to  lay  out  the  parade  ground  on  which  it  was 
found  that  John  Brady  had  built  his  house.  WToods  had 
been  employed  also  as  clerk  of  the  board.  At  this  meeting 
of  the  board  on  January  15,  1805,  it  is  recorded  in  the 
minutes  that  the  board  adjourned  to  meet  on  the  first 
Monday  in  February  after  the  meeting  of  the  committee 
appointed  to  place  a  Court  House  in  Williamsburg. 

In  1805,  Joseph  Scott  died  and  Thomas  Rodgers  was 
elected  in  his  place.  In  1806,  after  many  surveys  of 
the  town  had  already  been  made,  Theodore  Gourdin  and 
John  Scott,  of  Kingstree,  obtained  a  restraining  order 
from  the  court  in  the  matter  of  the  boundary  lines  of  the 
town.  Captain  Samuel  Malcolmson,  Major  John  Nesmith, 
and  Samuel  Fluitt  were  appointed  a  committee  to  have 
the  boundaries  of  the  town  confirmed  by  the  courts.  Henry 
Mouzon  and  Isaac  Singletary  were  appointed  as  surveyors 
to  determine  the  boundaries  of  the  town  and  to  make  a  new 
plat.  On  October  10,  1806,  the  commissioners  attended 
the  first  court  held  in  the  town  of  Williamsburg  and  there 
sought  an  order  confirming  the  boundary  line  as  made. 

On  February  22,  1808,  James  G.  McGill  and  Janies  B. 
McConnell  were  appointed  commissioners  to  succeed  Major 
John  Nesmith  and  E.  H.  Hewitt.  In  1809,  the  board 
of  commissioners  consisted  of  Thomas  D.  Beard,  Samuel 
Malcolmson,  Thomas  Rodgers,  James  B.  McConnell, 
Arthur  Cunningham.  At  this  meeting,  Patrick  Cormick 


150 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


was  elected  in  the  place  of  William  Moore,  and  Robert 
Witherspoon  vice  Samuel  Fluitt.  Patrick  Cormick  did 
not  accept,  so  John  Broome  was  elected.  The  next  year 
Dr.  T.  M.  Brown  filled  the  vacancy  caused  by  the  resigna¬ 
tion  of  Thomas  G.  Beard. 

On  the  29th  of  January,  1810,  Thomas  Rodgers  was 
ordered  to  pay  $50.00  for  the  destruction  of  the  old  plat 
of  the  town  of  Williamsburg,  otherwise  to  have  a  new  plat 
made.  Colonel  Robert  L.  Witherspoon  was  given  liberty 
to  fence  twelve  feet  of  Broad  Street  (Main)  and  twelve 
feet  of  Church  Street  in  order  to  plant  out  shade  trees 
to  form  a  pavement.  At  this  meeting,  it  was  decided  to 
prosecute  all  men  who  trespassed  on  the  streets.  Dr. 
T.  M.  Brown  introduced  a  resolution  which  was  passed 
that  the  ground  appropriated  for  Church  and  yard  be 
kept  sacred.  At  this  meeting,  the  board  entered  suit 
against  Theodore  Gourdin  for  planting  corn  in  one  of  the 
streets  of  the  town.  Thomas  Rodgers  was  fined  $10.00; 
Martin  Staggers,  $8.00;  William  Staggers,  $8.00;  Samuel 
Fluitt,  $5.00;  and  Samuel  Malcolmson,  $2.00  for  culti¬ 
vating  crops  in  the  streets.  A  resolution  was  passed  that 
Broad  Street  should  be  forever  the  center  street  in  the 
town  and  on  no  account  be  thereafter  changed.  John 
Matthews  and  Patrick  Cormick  were  elected  members  of 
the  board  to  succeed  John  H.  McConnell  and  James  B. 
McConnell.  At  the  meeting  of  the  board  of  July  6, 
1821,  Patrick  Cormick  was  sold  that  portion  of  a  lot  of 
land  lying  in  front  of  his  house  extending  to  Broad  Street, 
directly  between  the  Court  House  and  the  Jail,  at  the 
rate  of  $1.03  per  foot. 

In  1800,  the  following  men  or  their  heirs  owned  lots 
as  follows:  1,  James  Fisher;  2,  Thomas  Hall;  3,  Richard 
Hall;  4,  William  Morgan;  5,  John  Basnet;  6,  Robert 
Finley ;  7,  Archibald  Connor ;  8,  Samuel  Kennedy ;  9, 
Francis  Goddard;  10,  Isaac  Mattheivs;  11,  Robert  Full- 
wood;  12,  John  Dawson;  13,  Thomas  Lake,  Esq.;  14, 


THE  TOWN  OF  WILLIAMSBURG,  1788  151 


Jolin  Harshey  to  James  Gowdy;  15,  16,  Adam  Connor; 
20,  John  Hamilton;  21,  John  Sykes;  22,  Robert  Pringle; 
23,  Thomas  Monk;  24,  John  McClary;  25,  Henry  Wil¬ 
liams;  26,  Thomas  McCullough;  27,  Adam  Connor;  28, 
Samuel  Kennedy;  29,  John  McClary;  30,  31,  Robert  Full- 
wood;  32,  James  McCullough;  33,  Elisha  Gibson;  34, 
Samuel  Kennedy;  35,  Archibald  Connor;  36,  37,  Hugh 
McCullough;  38,  Margaret  Morgan;  39,  John  Cleland; 
40,  William  Morgan;  41,  Congregation  of  Williamsburg; 
42,  Thomas  McCants;  43,  John  Macauley;  44,  James 
McBride;  45,  Hugh  Copeland;  46,  John  Humphreys;  47, 
James  Witherspoon;  48,  Heirs  Robert  Witherspoon;  49, 
John  Humphreys;  50,  51,  Andrew  Early;  52,  John 
Pennyfather;  53-58,  John  McClary;  59,  John  Knox;  60, 
John  Wilson;  61,  John  Pressley;  62,  John  Wilson;  63, 
Samuel  Maxwell;  64,  John  Burgess,  Jr.;  65,  66,  Samuel 
Douglass;  67,  John  McClary;  68,  69,  Samuel  Maxwell; 
70,  Thomas  McConnell;  71,  Robert  McConnell;  73,  74, 
James  Burgess;  75,  George  McConnell;  76,  77,  Samuel 
Maxwell;  78-81,  John  McClary;  82-84,  Samuel  Maxwell; 
85-92,  John  McClary;  93,  John  Burgess,  Jr.;  94,  James 
Smith;  95-97,  John  Burgess,  Jr.;  98,  Samuel  Maxwell; 
99,  Ebenezer  Gibson;  100,  Charles  Starnes;  101,  David 
Arnett;  102,  Jane  Carge;  103,  Matthew  Yanalle;  104, 
John  Scott;  105,  Thomas  McConnell;  106,  James  Wither¬ 
spoon,  Jr.;  107,  James  Moody;  108,  Sarah  Blakeway; 
109,  Samuel  Malcolmson;  110,  Michael  Harding;  111, 
John  Bliss;  112,  John  Wilson;  113,  Samuel  Malcolmson; 
114,  James  Witherspoon,  Jr.;  115,  Janies  Bradley;  116, 
Samuel  Maxwell;  117,  Thomas  Forrest;  118,  John  Hewitt; 
119,  John  Mooney;  120-134,  John  McClary;  135,  John 
Holden;  136,  John  Dick;  137,  138,  Robert  Gamble;  139, 
Matthew  Camlin;  140,  John  McClary;  141,  Robert  Gamble; 
142,  James  Burgess;  143,  William  Law;  144,  Michael 
Harding;  145,  146,  John  McClary;  147,  Heirs  of  Will 
Gamble;  148,  John  McClary;  149,  Heirs  of  David 


152 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Witherspoon;  150-153,  John  McClary;  154,  William 
Wilson;  155-159,  John  McClary;  160,  James  Seawright; 
161,  Doctor  Lining;  162-167,  John  McClary;  168-180,  I. 
Fluitt;  181,  182,  Samuel  Snowden;  183,  Heirs  of  Thomas 
Frierson  and  Isaac  McKnight ;  184,  Robert  Hamilton, 
Jr.;  185,  Robert  Dixon;  186,  187,  Robert  Hamilton,  Jr.; 
188,  George  Durant;  189-191,  Samuel  Malcolmson;  192- 
194,  Joseph  Scott;  195,  James  Galbraith;  196,  William 
Bracey;  200,  John  Ballentine;  201,  Benjamin  Bates;  202, 
Margaret  Bowlee;  203,  Ruffin  Taylor;  205,  Richard 
Malone;  206,  Richard  Hughes;  207,  John  M.  Kinder; 
208,  James  Fleming,  Sr.;  210,  James  McClelland;  214, 
John  Wilson;  215,  William  Frierson,  Sr.;  216,  217, 
Robert  Hamilton,  Jr.;  218,  John  Scott,  Jr.;  219-221, 
Robert  Hamilton;  222,  223,  William  Witherspoon;  224, 
Andrew  Patterson,  Sr.;  225,  John  Boyd;  226,  Samuel 
Wilson;  227,  Andrew  Patterson;  228,  James  Bradley; 
229,  230,  William  Hiddleston;  232,  Joseph  Scott  and  A. 
Cunningham;  233,  John  McBride;  234,  John  McClary; 
235,  Robert  Ervin;  236,  William  Bracey;  237,  William 
Bracey;  238,  William  Heathley;  243,  Heirs  Robert 
Witherspoon ;  247,  James  Fleming,  Sr. ;  248,  Heirs 
Thomas  Landsdale;  249,  Robert  McConnell;  250, 
Ama  Hardger;  251,  James  Scott,  Sr.;  252,  L.  Snowden; 
255,  Heirs  Robert  Witherspoon ;  256,  William  McCormick ; 
259,  William  Frierson,  Jr.;  260,  John  Wilson;  262, 
Henry  Montgomery;  263,  Heirs  John  Scott;  265,  Heirs 
William  McConnell;  269,  John  Burgess;  272,  Isaac 
Barrinean  and  I.  Malcolmson;  276,  John  McClary; 
279,  Joseph  Rhodes;  280,  John  Macauley;  281,  Heirs 
Robert  Witherspoon;  284,  William  Frierson;  286,  Samuel 
McClelland;  288,  Heirs  David  Witherspoon;  289,  Gavin 
Witherspoon;  292,  Heirs  John  Scott;  293,  James  Fleming, 
Sr. ;  294,  Gavin  Witherspoon ;  296,  297,  Congregation 
of  Williamsburg;  301,  Reverend  J.  Bignion;  302,  Samuel 
McClelland;  303,  Samuel  Malcolmson;  307,  James  Flem- 


THE  TOWN  OF  WILLIAMSBURG,  1788  153 


in g,  Sr. ;  309,  Thomas  McConnell ;  310,  William  Wil¬ 
liamson;  313,  Hugh  McCollough;  314,  Henry  Postell; 
315,  Francis  Finley;  317,  Mary  Gladden;  318,  Congre¬ 
gation  of  Williamsburg;  319,  William  Hamilton;  327, 
John  Lemon;  328,  William  Montgomery;  329,  David 
McCants;  330,  John  Barns;  331,  William  Orr;  332, 
John  Cornell;  333,  George  Burrows;  334,  Robert  Wither¬ 
spoon  ;  335,  Robert  Allison ;  336,  William  McKnight ; 
337,  John  Watson;  338,  William  Scott;  340,  Patrick 
Lindsay;  341,  James  Witherspoon;  348,  Robert  Little; 
349,  David  M.  Owen;  350,  John  Danner  and  James  G. 
McGill;  352,  James  McCrea;  353,  James  Blakeley,  Jr.; 
354,  William  Hamilton;  355,  James  Stewart;  356,  John 
Watson;  357,  358,  John  and  Nathaniel  McCullough; 
359,  Matthew  Barr  and  James  Frierson;  360,  James 
Dickson;  361,  William  Pressley;  362,  James  Wither¬ 
spoon;  365,  John  Dick;  366,  Robert  Little;  367,  David 
McCants,  Sr. ;  368,  John  Athol ;  369,  Heirs  Robert  Wither¬ 
spoon;  370,  William  Young;  371,  Christopher  Harvey; 
373,  James  Pettigrew;  374,  William  Campbell;  375, 
Abraham  Gordon;  376,  William  Harvey;  377,  John 
Matthews;  378,  Hugh  McGill;  380,  Roger  Gibson;  381, 
William  McDonald;  382,  Heirs  Robert  Witherspoon; 
383,  John  Cleland;  387,  William  Hamilton;  390,  Samuel 
Adair;  391,  Gavin  Witherspoon;  392,  Sarah  Witherspoon; 
399,  Richard  Johnson;  400,  Martin  Staggers  and  G. 
Gamble;  402-405,  James  Fleming,  Sr.;  406,  Samuel  Mal- 
colmson;  407,  408,  Martin  Staggers;  409,  410,  James 
Campbell ;  420,  Samuel  Snowden ;  421,  Robert  Hanna ; 
422,  James  Tisdale;  423,  John  Humphreys. 


CHAPTER  XIV. 


WILLIAMSBURG  CENSUS,  1790. 

The  census  of  1790  shows  the  names  of  every  house¬ 
holder  in  Williamsburg  County,  first  column  in  the  list 
following;  the  number  of  white  males  sixteen  years  of 
age,  or  upwards,  of  his  household,  second  column;  the 
number  of  white  males  under  sixteen,  third  column;  the 
number  of  white  females,  fourth  column ;  and  the  number 
of  negro  slaves  the  head  of  the  house  owned,  fifth  column. 
This  list  is  about  as  full  of  history  as  so  much  space  can 
contain. 


Heads  of  Families 

Males 

over  16 

Males 
under  16 

Females 

Slaves 

Ard,  Barbary,  . . 

. 2 

1 

1 

•  • 

Axson,  Elijah  . . 

. 2 

4 

6 

5 

Avant,  Francis  . 

. 1 

1 

2 

1 

Avant,  Francis,  Jr . . 

. 1 

4 

3 

10 

Allison,  Sarah  . 

2 

1 

3 

Altman,  Jane  . . 

•  • 

2 

16 

Armstrong,  James  . 

. 1 

1 

3 

6 

A  rely,  Andrew  . . 

. 1 

•  • 

#  # 

•  • 

Adair,  Samuel  . 

. 1 

3 

3 

14 

Adams,  Margaret . . 

. 1 

•  • 

2 

2 

Allen,  John  . . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

Allen,  Henry  . 

. 2 

1 

4 

•  • 

Anderson,  William  . . 

. 1 

1 

2 

•  • 

Adams,  John . 

. 1 

1 

2 

•  • 

Anderson,  James  . . 

. 2 

#  # 

*  # 

57 

Brown  John  . . 

3 

2 

Biggen,  James  . . 

. 3 

2 

4 

•  • 

Braveboy,  Joshua  . . 

.  . 

•  • 

•  • 

Baxter,  John  . . 

. 1 

1 

1 

83 

Bartell,  Jacob  . 

3 

2 

Barefield,  Charles  . . 

. 1 

2 

8 

3 

Brockinton,  John,  Jr . . 

. 1 

•  • 

2 

»  • 

Bates,  Isaac  . . 

9 

2 

2 

2 

Brown,  Jeremiah . . 

9 

3 

2 

•  • 

Beard,  Henry  . . 

*  # 

1 

•  • 

Burbage,  Jonathan  . . 

1 

2 

•  • 

Butler,  Sarah  . . 

. 1 

1 

3 

9 

Birch,  Joseph  . 

. 2 

2 

3 

36 

WILLIAMSBURG  CENSUS,  1790  155 


Heads  of  Families 

Males 

over  16 

Males 

under  16 

Females 

Slaves 

Brown,  Ann  . 

1 

5 

#  , 

Benton,  Cress  . 

.  .1 

1 

4 

•  • 

Buxton,  Nancy . 

.  .1 

2 

3 

•  • 

Barefoot,  John  . 

.  .1 

2 

4 

•  • 

Blunt,  Jesse  Gashum . 

.  .1 

•  • 

2 

•  • 

Boyd,  Evan  . 

.  .1 

1 

1 

7 

Blakely,  James,  Jr . 

...3 

4 

4 

36 

Bland,  Thomas . 

.  .2 

3 

6 

5 

Bostwick,  Jonathan  . 

.  .1 

3 

2 

8 

Boyd,  John  . 

.  .2 

1 

4 

14 

Brown,  John . 

. .  .3 

•  • 

3 

,  . 

Barrineau,  Isaac  . 

. .  .2 

2 

3 

1 

Barrineau,  Arthur . 

. .  .1 

1 

2 

•  • 

Berry,  Lydford  . 

. .  .1 

1 

1 

•  • 

Bradley,  James,  Jr . 

. .  .1 

3 

3 

17 

Bracey,  Wm.  and  John  Graham 

.  .2 

2 

1 

2 

Burrows,  John  . 

.  .  .2 

3 

2 

22 

Burrows,  Joseph  . 

.  .  .1 

•  • 

•  • 

4 

Barr,  James  . 

..  .3 

2 

3 

3 

Brown,  James  . 

. .  .2 

4 

2 

10 

Butler,  Sarah  . 

1 

3 

6 

Barker,  John  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

3 

1 

Blackborn,  Gabriel  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

Bernard,  Paul,  Jr . 

...2 

•  • 

3 

13 

Barber,  John  . 

.  .  .1 

1 

2 

•  • 

Boutwell.  Joseph  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

1 

3 

Boone,  John  . 

. .  .2 

•  • 

•  • 

21 

Bernard,  Paul  . 

..  .3 

1 

3 

25 

Boone,  Thomas . 

...2 

3 

•  • 

42 

Barns,  John  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

•  • 

5 

Brockinton,  John  . 

. .  .1 

1 

4 

20 

Bineau,  Michael  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

2 

5 

Bates,  Isaac  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

Berry,  James  . 

.  ..1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

Burrows,  George  . 

. .  .1 

2 

1 

29 

Booth,  Robert  . 

...1 

•  • 

4 

1 

Bulloch,  Ephrain  . 

. .  .1 

4 

2 

•  • 

Boone,  Mary  . 

•  • 

1 

1 

Berry,  Thomas  . 

..  .3 

2 

3 

•  • 

Boone,  Capers  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

1 

6 

Boone,  Robert  . 

...2 

1 

3 

20 

Burrows,  Samuel  . 

...2 

1 

2 

•  • 

Barren,  John  . 

...1 

1 

4 

•  • 

Buford,  William  . 

...1 

3 

5 

9 

Coupland,  John  . 

. .  .2 

.  . 

1 

4 

156 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Heads  of  Families 

Males 

Males 

Females 

Slaves 

Cooper,  George . 

over  16 

. .  .1 

under  16 

•  • 

3 

5 

Callum,  John  . 

...2 

•  • 

1 

24 

Commander,  James,  Jr . 

. .  .1 

1 

1 

4 

Cooper,  James  . 

. .  .1 

1 

3 

5 

Comb,  Ann  . 

. .  .2 

•  • 

3 

•  • 

Cooper,  John  . 

. .  .1 

1 

•  • 

17 

Cooper,  William  James  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

1 

26 

Callebuff,  Elizabeth  . 

•  • 

1 

1 

Cook,  Joseph . 

.  .  .1 

2 

4 

•  • 

Cook,  Benjamin  . 

. .  .1 

1 

1 

•  • 

Commander,  James . 

...2 

4 

2 

35 

Cheesborough,  John  . 

. .  .2 

2 

2 

38 

Camlin,  William  . 

. .  .1 

2 

1 

•  • 

Cunningham,  James  . 

. .  .2 

3 

2 

•  • 

Carlisle,  Alexander  . 

.  ..1 

•  • 

2 

•  • 

Carter,  Zachary  . 

..  .1 

1 

3 

4 

Coleman,  Robert  . 

...2 

2 

2 

2 

Cox,  William  . 

.  .  .1 

•  • 

#  . 

Carter,  Josiah . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

3 

Cummins,  David  . 

...1 

3 

2 

Crosby,  Sarah . 

•  • 

3 

Calcot,  Henry . 

...1 

1 

3 

Conner,  Adam  . 

..  .1 

1 

1 

19 

Conner,  Archibald  . 

...2 

2 

1 

18 

Cantley,  John . 

. .  .1 

#  . 

3 

•  • 

Cannon,  John  . 

. .  .1 

2 

1 

16 

Calcot,  James  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

3 

•  • 

Clark,  James  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

Campbell,  Mary  . 

. .  .1 

1 

2 

13 

Coleman,  Jacob  . 

...1 

1 

4 

•  • 

Cunningham,  Mary . 

. .  .1 

1 

4 

26 

Cunningham,  Alexander . 

...1 

•  • 

1 

8 

Clark,  Henry  . 

. .  .1 

4 

1 

5 

Camlin,  Matthew . 

...1 

•  • 

2 

1 

Cockfield,  Josiah  . 

. .  .1 

3 

5 

10 

Campbell,  James,  Jr . 

. .  .1 

#  # 

1 

•  • 

Carter,  William  . 

. .  .1 

4 

2 

2 

Cribb,  John  . 

4 

3 

•  • 

Craps,  William  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

3 

•  • 

Chovin,  Alexander  and  Collins, 
Alexander  . 

...2 

1 

4 

49 

Campbell,  James  . 

...2 

2 

2 

•  • 

Campbell,  Archibald  . 

...3 

•  « 

2 

•  • 

Dickson,  John . 

..  .1 

1 

1 

•  • 

Davis,  Mary  . 

. .  .1 

1 

2 

9 

WILLIAMSBURG  CENSUS, 

1790 

157 

Heads  of  Families 

Males 

Males 

Females 

Slaves 

Day,  John  . 

over  16 

....2 

under  16 

2 

8 

Digman,  Robert  . 

. . .  .1 

2 

2 

•  • 

Davis,  Robert  . 

. . .  .1 

1 

2 

1 

Dickey,  John . 

. . .  .1 

5 

4 

45 

Durant,  Benjamin,  and 
Durant,  Paul  . 

....2 

•  • 

4 

Douglas,  Sarah  . 

..  ..1 

•  • 

2 

•  • 

Durant,  George . 

.  . .  .1 

2 

1 

6 

Douglas,  Samuel  . 

. .  .  .1 

1 

9 

5 

Dawson,  John,  and  Brady  . . . 

2 

•  • 

1 

6 

Dick,  Robert,  and  Jonas  Win. 

....2 

o 

2 

27 

Davison,  Mary,  and  William 
Menkelroy  . 

. . .  .1 

1 

1 

13 

Dollard,  Patrick,  and  Jno. 
O’Bryan  . 

....2 

•  • 

1 

27 

Davidson,  William  . 

. . .  .1 

•  • 

4 

11 

Daniel,  James . 

. . .  .1 

O 

5 

2 

Dupre,  James  . 

. . .  .1 

1 

2 

13 

Dowen,  James  . 

.  . .  .1 

3 

9 

Dobbin,  William  . 

....1 

2 

1 

Downing,  Ranatus . 

. . .  .2 

3 

9 

Douglas,  William . 

...  .1 

•  • 

2 

Dickey,  George . 

.  .  .  .1 

3 

4 

Dickey,  Stuart  . 

. . .  .1 

9 

+mi 

5 

Ervin,  Hugh  . 

.  . .  .1 

1 

2 

11) 

Ervin,  John . 

. . .  .1 

2 

1 

29 

Edmonds,  Eattemore . 

...  .3 

•  • 

7 

•  , 

Evans,  Barwell  . 

....1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

Ervin,  Elizabeth . 

•  • 

3 

11 

Ervin,  Robert  . 

.  .  .  .1 

•  • 

O 

o 

13 

Eaddy,  James,  Jr . 

. . .  .1 

4 

3 

7 

Eaddy,  James  . 

. . .  .1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

Evans,  Francis  . 

. . .  .2 

4 

3 

10 

Early,  Andrew  . 

. . .  .1 

3 

2 

•  • 

Edwards,  Simon  . 

....2 

.  . 

1 

.  . 

Freeman,  James  . 

. . .  .1 

4 

3 

,  . 

Flagler,  William  . 

.  ...1 

3 

3 

16 

Finkly,  John . 

. . .  .1 

1 

3 

2 

Finkly,  Thomas  . 

. . .  .1 

,  # 

4 

10 

Finkly,  Charles  . 

. . .  .2 

.  # 

1 

7 

Falcon,  Peter . 

2 

2 

•  • 

Francis,  Richard  . 

. . .  .1 

3 

3 

•  • 

Fryer,  Joel  . 

•  • 

2 

•  • 

Fraser,  William  . 

. . .  .1 

•  • 

•  • 

4 

Fryer,  Drure . 

...  .2 

2 

5 

#  # 

158 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Heads  of  Families 

Males 

Males 

Females 

Slaves 

Frierson,  William,  Jr . 

over  16 

. . .  .1 

under  16 

1 

8 

Frierson,  Samuel  . 

. . .  .1 

•  • 

1 

10 

Frierson,  Robert,  Sr . 

....2 

2 

6 

29 

Frierson,  William  . 

....3 

3 

2 

18 

Frierson,  Robert,  Jr.  and 

Mary  Witherspoon  . 

. . .  .1 

•  • 

2 

7 

Frierson,  John  . 

....3 

1 

3 

15 

Fulton,  John  . 

. . .  .1 

1 

2 

14 

Fleming,  Ann  . 

.  .  .  .2 

•  . 

5 

1 

Felps,  Samuel . 

.  .  .  .1 

•  . 

•  • 

•  • 

Futhy,  John  . 

.  . .  .1 

1 

2 

IS 

Futhy,  Henry  . 

....3 

•  . 

•  • 

12 

Foxworth,  Thomas  . 

. .  .  .1 

•  • 

2 

•  • 

Forrister,  Anthony  . 

. . .  .1 

3 

2 

•  • 

Ford,  Hephen  . 

.  . .  .2 

4 

2 

98 

Fleming,  John,  Jr . 

. . .  .1 

•  . 

1 

•  • 

Fleming,  John  . 

.  . .  .1 

3 

4 

•  • 

Fleming,  John  . 

. .  .  .1 

2 

3 

•  • 

Fleming,  John,  Jr . 

.  .  .  .1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

Gibson,  John . 

. . .  .1 

6 

2 

•  • 

Gordon,  John  . 

....2 

2 

4 

•  • 

Gaskin,  Sarah  . 

1 

3 

1 

Green,  Samuel  . 

. .  .  .1 

•  • 

2 

8 

Gamble,  Robert  . 

....2 

•  • 

2 

12 

Gilley,  John  . 

. . .  .1 

1 

1 

•  • 

Gregg,  John . 

....1 

3 

2 

•  • 

Gaskin,  Ezekiel  . 

. . .  .1 

5 

2 

6 

Gardner,  John  . 

....1 

2 

2 

•  • 

Gibson,  Daniel  . 

•  . 

•  • 

•  • 

Gregg,  Joseph . 

. . .  .1 

2 

4 

11 

Gregg,  John  . 

. . .  .1 

6 

4 

19 

Gregg,  James  . 

....1 

3 

6 

16 

Gregg,  Robert . 

.  ..  .1 

1 

1 

2 

Gourley,  Joseph,  and  Thomas 
McKeney  . 

.  .  .  .2 

3 

4 

8 

Goodwin,  Abel  . 

. . .  .2 

2 

4 

9 

Green,  Richard  . 

. .  .  .1 

3 

1 

16 

Goddard,  William,  and 

Francis  Billum . 

2 

•  • 

70 

Gorman,  Catherine  . 

1 

2 

•  • 

Ginn,  Shadrach  . 

.  ...3 

3 

5 

•  • 

Going,  Bathiah . 

•  • 

o 

•  • 

Griffis,  David  . 

. . .  .1 

•  • 

2 

•  ■ 

Gibson,  Ebenezer  . 

.  . .  .1 

•  • 

1 

9 

Gillespie,  John  . 

...  .1 

2 

2 

7 

WILLIAMSBURG  CENSUS,  1790  159 


Heads  of  Families  Males 

Males 

Females 

Slaves 

over  16 

Gibson,  James  . 1 

under  16 

5 

1 

Graham,  John,  and  Robert 

Moore,  and  Margaret  Raffell... 

.2 

•  • 

2 

16 

Gourdin,  Theodore  . 

.1 

1 

3 

150 

For  John  James  Estate . 

.1 

•  • 

1 

13 

Gilbert,  James,  and  John  Roulet 

2 

•  • 

•  « 

#  • 

Gotea,  James  . 

.1 

3 

3 

11 

Gamble,  John  . 

.1 

3 

1 

3 

Graham,  Hugh  . 

1 

3 

6 

5 

Gamble,  William  . 

.1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

Gibbons,  Michael  . . . 

.3 

•  • 

6 

•  • 

Wilson,  Godfrey  (Est.)  . 

•  • 

1 

6 

Green,  William . 

.1 

•  • 

2 

7 

Graham,  William . 

.3 

•  • 

2 

9 

Gregg,  Hugh,  and  Samuel  Thomson  2 

•  • 

•  • 

8 

Green,  John  Thomson . 

.1 

•  • 

3 

18 

Gamble,  Robert  . 

.1 

1 

2 

•  • 

Grant,  Hugh,  and  Richard  Taylor  2 

•  • 

•  • 

2 

Green,  Francis  . 

.1 

2 

4 

33 

Green,  John  . 

.1 

•  • 

•  • 

12 

Green,  James  . 

.1 

2 

2 

18 

Green,  John  (son  of  Richard)... 

.1 

•  • 

2 

46 

Glass,  Joseph  Alexender  . 

2 

•  • 

3 

9 

Gibson,  John . 

.1 

5 

2 

8 

Grier,  John  . 

.1 

•  • 

1 

Graham,  Robert . 

.1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

Gaskin,  Vincent  . 

.1 

1 

2 

•  • 

Gouge,  John  . 

.1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

Gordon,  John  . 

.2 

3 

3 

18 

Gaskin,  James  . 

.2 

3 

3 

9 

Gibson,  Ebenezer  . 

.1 

•  • 

2 

Gasque,  Aaron  . 

.1 

•  • 

•  • 

Gadsden,  Christopher  (negroes)  . 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

90 

Guerry,  Benjamin  . 

.1 

1 

3 

Gibson,  Thomas  . 

.1 

3 

3 

Goudge,  John  . 

.1 

2 

1 

Gibson,  James  . 

.1 

4 

2 

Gibson,  Alexander  . 

.1 

3 

1 

Gibson,  Thomas  . 

.1 

•  • 

1 

Gibson,  George  . 

.1 

1 

1 

Gilbraith,  James  . 

.1 

3 

2 

Holland,  James  . 

.1 

2 

2 

1 

Horn,  Richard  . 

.2 

1 

4 

•  • 

Hickman,  Isaac,  and 

Joshua  Hickman  . 

.2 

#  # 

•  • 

12 

160 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Heads  of  Families  Males 

over  16 

Hudson,  Hannah,  Sr . 1 

Hudson,  Benjamin  . 1 

Harrell,  Lewis  . 1 

Harmon,  Thomas  . 

Hudson,  Joseph  . 1 

Hutchenson,  Aaron  . 1 

Hutchenson,  Arthur  . 1 

Hagan,  Zachariah  . 4 

Harmon,  William  . 1 

Harmon,  Shemeraft  . 1 

Hartley,  James . 1 

Hagan,  Obediah  . 1 

Hains,  Samuel  . 2 

Herren,  Eleanor  . 1 

Humfrey,  John,  and 

James  Perry  . 1 

Hill,  Isaac . 1 

Hickson,  John  . 1 

Howard,  John  . 1 

Hope,  Ralph  . 1 

Hannah,  William  . 3 

Hannah,  Hugh  . 1 

Halcher,  Isham  . 1 

Howell,  Joshua  Joseph  . 2 

Hambelton,  Rebecca  . 1 

Ham,  William  . 1 

Hart,  Hyman,  and 

Joseph  McCrea  . 2 

Hart,  Simon  . 1 

Hoddy,  Elizabeth . 

Herren,  William  . 1 

Hannah,  James  . 1 

Hickson,  Peter  . 1 

Hughs,  John  . 1 

Harelson,  William  . 2 

Hart,  Daniel  . 2 

Harth,  Simon  . 1 

Howard,  Martin  . 2 

Hydecker,  John  Arthur  . 1 

Heathly,  William . 1 

Hughes,  Sarah  . 1 

Hix,  William  . 1 

Hepburn,  James  . 1 

Halcher,  Moses  . 1 

Holden,  Shoemach . 1 


Males 
under  16 
3 
1 
3 


4 

1 


2 

1 


1 

3 

2 

1 

2 

2 


1 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 

1 

1 

• 

1 

2 

3 

1 

2 


Females  Slaves 


5 

4 

3 

3 

2 

2 

7 

3 


5 

4 


4 

14 


1 


1 

1 

3 

2 

1 

5 

1 

1 

2 

1 

1 


•  • 
10 

3 

4 
2 
7 
2 
7 


6 


2 

3 

5 

1 

1 


5 

3 

1 

1 

1 

2 

2 

2 

1 

2 


2 

9 

6 


1 

24 


11 


WILLIAMSBURG  CENSUS,  1790  161 


Heads  of  Families  Males 

over  16 

Ilerren,  Eleanor  . 1 

Hendlen,  John  . 1 

Harrington,  Thomas  . 1 

Harden,  Thomas  . 1 

Harden,  Michael  . 1 

Houldon,  Samuel . 1 

Hull,  Joseph  . 1 

Henlin,  Benjamin  . 1 

Howard,  Rachael . 

Harvey,  Judith  . 1 

Howard,  John . 1 

Hickson,  John . 1 

Hiddleston,  William  . 1 

Johnson,  William  . 1 

Jolly,  Joseph  . 1 

James,  William  . 1 

James,  Robert  . 1 

Jones,  Peter  . 1 

Ivey,  John  . 1 

Ironmonger,  Recten  . . 2 

Johnson,  George . 1 

June,  Stephen  . 1 

Jones,  William  . 1 

Jones,  Mary  . 1 

Jenkins,  Margaret,  and 

James  Jenkins  . 1 

Jolly,  Archibald  . 1 

Irwin,  James  . 2 

Johnson,  Thomson . 1 

Simon,  Joseph  . 2 

James,  Jane  . 1 

Jaudon,  Martha,  and  Margaret 

Bowen . 

James,  John  . 1 

Johnson,  Jacob  . 1 

Jackson,  William  . 1 

Jackson,  John  . 1 

James,  Samuel  Winter  . 1 

Johnston,  James  . 1 

Joseph,  Lazarus  . 1 

Jenkins,  Samuel  . 1 

Jones,  Samuel  . 1 

Jones,  James . 1 

Knight,  Catherine  . 1 

Keith,  Sarah  Ann  . 2 


Males 
under  16 
1 

3 
2 

4 
2 
1 

4 

3 
1 
•  • 

2 

2 


3 

1 

3 


1 


2 

1 

1 

5 


2 

1 

2 


1 

2 

1 

2 

1 

1 


Females  Slaves 


4 

2 

1 

2 

1 

• 

1 

3 

4 
3 

3 

4 
2 
2 
8 


1 


12 

1 


1 

1 

3 


1 

1 


7 

20 

2 


1 

7 

3 

3 

1 


2 

3 

6 


31 


2 

3 
2 

4 


2 

3 
2 

4 
3 
o 

w 

o 


6 

11 


3 

1 


11 


162 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Heads  of  Families  Males 

over  16 

Keels,  Isaac  . 1 

Kelty,  John  . 1 

Knox,  Archibald  . 1 

Kinder,  John  Michael  . 1 

Kennedy,  Samuel  . 1 

Knox,  Mary  . 2 

Knox,  William  . 1 

Kennedy,  Mary  . 

Keels,  John  . 1 

Keith,  William  . 2 

Knox,  Samuel  . 1 

Knox,  John  . 1 

Kirkpatrick,  James . 1 

Lee,  Needum . 1 

Lowry,  John  . 1 

Ligneager,  Isaac  . 

Lane,  John  . 1 

Lane,  Hannah  . 

Latham,  Amos  . 1 

Lee,  Samuel  . 2 

Lee,  James  . 2 

Levy,  Aaron  . 1 

Lacey,  Sarah  . 

Leger,  John  . 1 

Lifrage,  William,  and 

James  Meek  . 2 

Law,  William  . 1 

Lowry,  Robert  . 1 

Layman,  David  . 1 

Lane,  Rebecca  . 

Leger,  William  . 1 

Lamb,  Javin  . 1 

Leger,  James  . 2 

Leger,  Daniel  . 1 

Lequex,  Sims  . 2 

Lequex,  . 

Luiser,  Thomas  . 1 

Lacey,  James  . 3 

Lester,  William  . 1 

Lamb,  Levy . 2 

Leger,  Daniel  . 1 

Linson,  Thomas  . 1 

Lequex,  John  . 1 

Lawremore,  William  . 1 

Lamb,  Joseph  . 1 


Males 
under  16 
1 
2 
2 
1 
2 
1 
2 

2 

2 


3 


4 


2 

2 

• 

1 

1 


2 


1 

2 

2 

• 

2 

• 

1 

1 

1 

2 


2 

1 

1 

1 

1 


Females 

3 

4 
4 
3 
1 
3 
2 
1 

3 

4 
2 
1 

3 
2 
•  • 

2 

2 

3 
2 
1 

4 
3 
2 

3 

1 

1 

1 

1 

1 

2 

3 

4 
•  • 

2 

1 

1 

2 

2 

3 

1 

1 

2 

1 


Slaves 

7 

2 

10 

3 
17 

2 

4 

3 


6 

1 


6 

2 
14 
•  • 

3 

1 


1 

26 

6 


25 

•  • 
8 
•  • 
21 


WILLIAMSBURG  CENSUS,  1790  163 


Heads  of  Families 

Males 

over  16 

Males 
under  16 

Females 

Slaves 

Lanels,  Thomas  . 

. 1 

1 

2 

Lee,  Fernay  . 

. 3 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

March,  Tarenah  . 

. 1 

1 

1 

2 

McDowell,  William  . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

1 

McKindru,  John  . 

..  ..1 

1 

2 

•  • 

McDonald,  John . 

. 1 

4 

1 

•  • 

Malpess,  Joel  . 

. 1 

1 

3 

4 

Martin,  Zachariah  . 

. 1 

1 

3 

4 

McGinney,  James  . 

. 1 

4 

1 

1 

Mikell,  Jane  . 

McKee,  John,  and  Thomas 

1 

2 

•  • 

Seabrook  . 

. 2 

1 

2 

20 

Murfee,  Moses  . 

. 2 

3 

2 

•  • 

Mclntree,  Thomas  . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

March,  John  . 

. 1 

1 

5 

•  • 

Montgomery,  Nathaniel . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

15 

Montgomery,  Samuel  . 

. 1 

1 

2 

1 

McKnight,  James . 

. 1 

1 

2 

20 

McDonald,  Adam . 

2 

3 

17 

McDonald,  Sam  . 

. 1 

•  • 

8 

McDonald,  Daniel  . 

. 1 

•  • 

7 

McDowell,  Samuel . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

McDonald,  Archibald  . 

. 1 

•  • 

5 

McKnight,  Thomas  . 

Marlow,  James,  and 

. 1 

3 

2 

26 

William  Bailey  . 

. 2 

2 

3 

•  • 

Marlow,  Richard  . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

McCracker,  David  . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

Macauley,  Sarah  . 

1 

6 

15 

McMullen,  Hugh  . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  « 

McCullough,  James  . 

McBride,  James,  and 

. 1 

2 

1 

2 

Samuel  McBride  . 

. 2 

2 

3 

7 

Mouzon,  Henry  . 

. 3 

2 

5 

4 

Manning,  James . 

. 1 

3 

4 

.  . 

Montgomery,  Hugh  . 

. 2 

2 

3 

52 

McCullough,  William  . 

. 1 

2 

2 

21 

McCants,  Thomas  . 

. 2 

4 

4 

17 

Matthews,  John  . 

. 1 

1 

4 

42 

Marner,  Charles . 

. 1 

1 

2 

,  • 

McConnell,  Thomas  . 

. 1 

6 

3 

15 

Murphy,  Archibald  . 

McKee,  Joseph,  and  James 

. 1 

•  • 

2 

6 

Stephenson  . 

. 2 

•  • 

2 

14 

Matthews,  Isaac  . 

. 1 

2 

6 

35 

164 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Heads  of  Families 

Males 

Males 

Females 

Slaves 

(For  Abraham  Matthews,  Est.) 

over  16 

...1 

under  16 

•  • 

14 

Marsden,  Elizabeth . 

•  • 

1 

13 

Maxwell,  Samuel,  and 

Margaret  McCarty  . 

. .  .1 

5 

3 

3 

McClary,  John  . 

1 

4 

4 

McGill,  Samuel  . 

. .  .1 

2 

2 

11 

McConnell,  Robert  . 

. .  .1 

2 

4 

33 

McConnell,  George  . 

. .  .1 

1 

2 

3 

McCrea,  Susanna,  and 

Samuel  Panton  . 

. .  .1 

2 

3 

54 

McConnell,  Mary  . 

2 

2 

2 

12 

McConnell,  James  . 

.  .  .1 

3 

3 

8 

McCants,  Alexander  . 

.  .  .1 

•  • 

2 

1 

McCutchen,  George  . 

.  .  .1 

4 

2 

11 

McKnight,  Allen  . 

1 

5 

58 

McKee,  James  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

McGill.  Roger  . 

. .  .2 

2 

3 

24 

McCutchen,  James  . 

. .  .2 

•  • 

4 

8 

McCrea,  Thomas  . 

.  .  .1 

•  • 

3 

26 

McCrea,  James  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

McElveen,  William  . 

. .  .3 

2 

4 

12 

Mulhollen,  Jeannet  . 

•  • 

3 

•  • 

McAlister,  John  . . 

. .  .1 

4 

3 

•  • 

Marlowe,  Charles  . 

. .  .1 

1 

3 

•  • 

McKnelly,  James  . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

5 

4 

McElveen,  William,  Jr . 

. .  .1 

1 

1 

12 

McGee,  William  . 

...2 

1 

2 

1 

McDowell,  John  . 

..  .1 

•  • 

.  . 

7 

McDowell,  William  . 

. .  .1 

8 

1 

,  , 

McKnight,  John . 

..  .1 

3 

3 

17 

Miller,  Moses,  Jr . 

. .  .1 

3 

3 

14 

Marlow,  William  . 

.  .  .4 

1 

4 

Moore,  William  . 

.  .  .1 

3 

3 

4 

McCullough,  Elizabeth  . 

..  .1 

3 

Messers,  John  . 

. .  .1 

3 

4 

•  • 

McFadden,  Robert . 

. .  .1 

1 

1 

•  • 

Mi chau,  Paul  . 

.  .  .1 

•  • 

8 

21 

Perdreau,  John  (Est.  of) 

Guerry,  Lydia . 

1 

3 

5 

Michau,  Manassel  . 

. .  .2 

3 

5 

25 

McCullough,  John  . . . 

. .  .1 

•  • 

#  . 

•  • 

Murfee,  Moses  . 

...1 

3 

2 

87 

McBride,  John  . 

. .  .1 

2 

3 

4 

McKissick,  Archie  . 

...1 

•  • 

•  • 

2 

Mason,  John,  and  John  Paisely 

2 

•  • 

•  • 

2 

WILLIAMSBURG 

CENSUS, 

1790 

165 

Heads  of  Families 

Males  Males 

over  16  under  16 

Females 

Slaves 

McCottry,  Robert  . 

. 2 

•  • 

6 

30 

Michau,  Peter  . 

. 2 

•  • 

#  . 

31 

McKee,  John  . 

9 

l 

2 

20 

McCrea,  John  . 

. 1 

9 

3 

9 

McElroy,  William  . 

. 1 

9 

3 

1 

Miller,  Moses  . 

. 2 

•  • 

2 

45 

Meerse,  Daniel  . 

. 2 

1 

2 

11 

McCullough,  Hugh . 

. 1 

4 

1 

12 

McGinney,  Samuel  . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

12 

Michau,  Peter . 

. 3 

•  • 

•  • 

32 

May,  Enoch  . 

. 1 

•  • 

2 

•  • 

Morris,  William  . 

_ _ _ 1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

McAllister,  Charles  . 

. 2 

1 

3 

9 

McKnight,  Robert  . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

17 

Moore,  William  . 

. 1 

3 

3 

4 

Marler,  Richard  . 

. 1 

•  . 

2 

•  • 

McKable,  Alexander  . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

McMelly,  Mary . 

. 2 

1 

2 

16 

Murray,  John  . 

. 1 

1 

4 

17 

McCullough,  John  . 

. 2 

•  • 

2 

8 

March,  John  . 

. 1 

1 

5 

Matthews,  Jonas  . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

Marlow,  William  . 

. 3 

2 

5 

McClary,  John  . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

Morris,  John . 

. 1 

1 

1 

McCrea,  Joseph  . 

. 1 

9 

3 

McCrea,  Farquher  . 

. 3 

2 

9 

Aa 

Mills,  John  . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

Miller,  Stephen  . 

. 2 

1 

1 

McDowell,  Forgas  . 

. 1 

1 

1 

McBane,  Daniel  . 

. 1 

2 

4 

McDonald,  Jane  . 

. 1 

2 

2 

10 

Mammon,  John  . 

. 1 

1 

4 

Night,  Thomas  . 

. 1 

•  • 

3 

Nelson,  Letitia  . 

. 1 

•  • 

4 

40 

Nalton,  Caleb  . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

.  • 

Nesmith,  Samuel  . 

•  • 

1 

9 

Nesmith,  Drew  Nathaniel  . . 

. 1 

1 

3 

1 

Nesmith,  Samuel  . 

9 

•  • 

3 

21 

Nesmith,  John  . 

. 1 

o 

Aj 

3 

5 

Nesmith,  Samuel  . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

•  • 

Nesmith,  Elizabeth  . 

. 1 

•  • 

9 

Aj 

1 

Nesmith,  Robert  . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

10 

Nettles,  Isham  . 

. 1 

2 

2 

•  • 

Nesbit,  James  . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

166 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Heads  of  Families 

Males 

over  16 

Males 
under  16 

Females 

Slaves 

Orr,  John . 

. 1 

3 

1 

3 

Orr,  Mary  . 

O’Neill,  John,  and  Lachlen 

•  • 

1 

8 

McIntosh  . 

. 2 

1 

2 

5 

Owens,  Janies . 

. 1 

1 

3 

•  • 

Orr,  William,  Sr . 

. 3 

1 

o 

4 

Orr,  William,  Jr . 

. 1 

1 

1 

•  • 

Owen,  Lewis  . 

. 1 

1 

1 

5 

Owen,  James . 

. 4 

•  • 

6 

4 

Ogelby,  Lewis  . 

. 1 

•  • 

3 

•  . 

Owens,  Zacheriah  . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

.  , 

O’Brian,  John . 

. 1 

1 

2 

#  , 

Owens,  Peter  . 

. 1 

•  • 

3 

7 

Ogelby,  Daniel  . 

. 1 

4 

5 

#  # 

Pritchard,  Simon . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

1 

Porter,  John  . 

. 1 

1 

2 

4 

Perkins,  Mary  . 

•  • 

3 

11 

Poston,  James  . 

. 1 

•  • 

3 

•  • 

Poston,  John  . 

. 1 

3 

3 

•  • 

Port,  Francis  . 

. 3 

1 

5 

26 

Perkins,  Lewis  . 

. 1 

•  • 

•  • 

9 

Pilkenton,  DuRay  . 

. 1 

•  • 

2 

#  # 

Pritchard,  Stephen  . 

. 1 

3 

2 

•  • 

Pilkenton,  John  . . 

. 1 

1 

1 

•  • 

Perritt,  James  . . 

. 1 

1 

3 

5 

Price,  Henry  . 

. 2 

1 

1 

11 

Patterson,  Andrew  . 

. 4 

•  • 

3 

1 

Paisley,  Thomas  . 

. 1 

1 

5 

11 

Paisley,  William  . 

. 1 

•  • 

1 

8 

Paisley,  Robert . 

. 2 

•  • 

5 

25 

Pell,  Gilbert  . 

. 1 

•  • 

2 

1 

Perrit,  Abraham  . 

_ 1 

2 

4 

29 

Potts,  Thomas . 

...  .1 

3 

5 

28 

Potts,  William  . 

...  .1 

1 

1 

17 

Perkins,  David  . 

...  .1 

•  • 

3 

11 

Perrit,  Francis  . 

...  .1 

3 

1 

15 

Porter,  William  . 

.  . .  .1 

4 

9 

Pettigrew,  James  . 

. . .  .2 

3 

1 

11 

Port,  Benjamin  . 

. .  .  .1 

#  # 

2 

9 

Payne,  John  . 

2 

3 

Pigott,  Nathaniel  . 

0, 

1 

2 

3 

Parsons,  Amos  . 

....3 

1 

5 

1 

Patterson,  Andrew  . 

. . .  .1 

#  * 

3 

1 

Parkerson,  John . 

. . .  .2 

3 

5 

•  • 

Paisley,  Hugh  . 

.  . .  .1 

•  • 

1 

13 

WILLIAMSBURG  CENSUS,  1790  167 


Heads  of  Families  Males 

over  16 

Paisley,  William,  Jr . 1 

Parsons,  William . 1 

Porter,  Benjamin . 3 

Porter,  John  . 1 

Plat,  Elizabeth  . 

Parker,  John  . 2 

Paidey,  Peter  . 3 

Poston,  Joseph  . 1 

Russell,  Thomas  . 

Rawls,  Elisha . 2 

Rodgers,  Isaac  . 1 

Rodgers,  Shadrach  . 1 

Rhodes,  John  . 1 

Roberts,  Peter  . 1 

Rhodus,  Solomon  . 1 

Russell,  Andrew . 1 

Reed,  Hugh . 1 

Rodgers,  Micajah  . 1 

Rowlin,  Margaret  . 

Rigden,  Ephraim  . 2 

Roland,  Elizabeth  . 

Riche,  Anthony  . 1 

Rambart,  Joachem  . 1 

Roland,  Abraham  . 1 

Raney,  Herbert  . 1 

Riche,  James . 1 

Reaves,  Benjamin  . 1 

Rasberry,  Nathaniel . 1 

Reaves,  James  . 1 

Royals,  James  . 2 

Raphield,  James  . 1 

Reed,  William  . 1 

Richardson,  David  . 1 

Robinson,  John . 1 

Roland,  Benjamin  . 1 

Stevens,  Ruben . 1 

Spring,  Ann  . 

Stone,  William  . 1 

Scarf,  Edward  . 2 

Smith,  John  . 1 

Shackelford,  Jeai^ . 

Stapleton,  Levi . 1 

Stapleton,  Sarah  . 

Swab,  John  George . 1 

Smith,  James  . 1 


Males 
under  16 


2 

3 

1 


4 
1 
2 

5 


2 

1 

1 

2 


2 

2 

1 

2 

1 

2 

4 

3 

1 

1 

2 


3 

• 

4 

1 


Females  Slaves 


3 

1 

4 
3 
1 

5 
3 
3 
3 

1 

1 

2 

2 

2 

3 

5 
1 
2 
2 
3 

3 

4 
1 
1 
3 
1 
3 
2 
3 
2 

1 

o 

Jmj 

2 

6 
1 

5 

•  • 

o 

j 

1 

1 


3 

1 

67 

14 


24 

5 

•  • 
7 


18 


1 


3 


to  to 


168 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Heads  of  Families  Males 

over  16 

Staggers,  Barbary  . 1 

Smith,  Adam  . 1 

Scarf,  William  . 1 

Scott,  James  . 3 

Scott,  Joseph,  and  William 

Reed  . 3 

Scott,  Joseph  (for  his 

father’s  estate)  . 2 

Smith,  Henry  . 1 

Smith,  Hugh . 1 

Scison,  Ebenezer  . 1 

Singletary,  Ebenezer . 1 

Spring,  Robert  . 1 

Smith,  James  . 1 

Small,  Christopher  . 1 

Sessions,  John  . 3 

Sessions,  Wm,,  and  Francis  Martin  3 

Sullivan,  Joseph  . 1 

Smith,  Thomas  . 1 

Staggers,  John  . 2 

Savage,  Nathan  . 3 

Stone,  Austin  . 2 

Snow,  James . 1 

Snow,  William  . 4 

Spears,  William  . 1 

Skrine,  Thomas  . 1 

Scott,  Alexander  . 2 

Smith,  Abner  . 1 

Scott,  John  . 1 

Sparkman,  Richard  . 1 

Smyth,  Thomas  . 1 

Sheed,  John  . 1 

Shealds,  John  . 3 

Swinton,  Hugh  . 2 

Smith,  Benjamin  . 1 

Simons,  Due  . 1 

Smith,  William  . 1 

Starnes,  Charles  . 1 

Smith,  John  . 1 

Tomson,  James  . 1 

Turner,  John  . 1 

Tomson,  George  . 3 

Tyler,  Samuel  . 1 

Thomas,  David  . 1 

Thomas,  Jesse  . 1 


Males 

Females 

Slaves 

under  16 

2 

1 

•  • 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

5 

4 

20 

1 

3 

34 

2 

2 

26 

3 

4 

1 

2 

4 

3 

4 

4 

12 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

2 

3 

5 

1 

2 

5 

1 

6 

2 

4 

•  • 

3 

2 

1 

2 

3 

22 

4 

5 

1 

•  • 

2 

7 

43 

•  • 

•  • 

9 

2 

•  • 

7 

4 

2 

8 

1 

5 

•  • 

3 

1 

10 

1 

3 

•  • 

•  • 

3 

•  • 

2 

1 

•  • 

1 

2 

•  • 

2 

3 

•  • 

2 

1 

•  • 

3 

1 

•  • 

•  • 

3 

•  • 

4 

2 

•  • 

2 

1 

•  • 

3 

3 

1 

1 

1 

•  • 

2 

3 

8 

•  • 

7 

•  • 

•  • 

4 

•  • 

1 

1 

•  • 

WILLIAMSBURG  CENSUS,  1790  169 


Heads  of  Families  Males 

over  16 

Timmons,  John  . 3 

Timmons,  James  . 1 

Timmons,  Levi  . 1 

Turner,  Amos  . 1 

Tucker,  John  . 1 

Tisdale,  James  . 1 

Thorp,  Samuel  . 1 

Thomson,  Alexander . 1 

Tucker,  John  . 1 

Thomson,  Ruben  . 1 

Thomson,  James  . 2 

Tyler,  Benjamin  . 1 

Taylor,  Ruffin . 1 

Thomas,  Alexander . 1 

Thomson,  John  . 1 

Turner,  Ruben  . 1 

Turner,  Benjamin  . 1 

Watrous,  Abner  . 1 

Whitfield,  William  . 1 

Wickham,  Thomas  J . 1 

Wilson,  Robert . 1 

White,  Daniel . 2 

Williams,  Hannah  . 1 

Wilson,  Captain  William  . 2 

Wilson,  William . 1 

Wilson,  John  . 1 

Ward,  James  . 1 

Watson,  George  . 3 

Witherspoon,  John  . 1 

Witherspoon,  Sarah  . 1 

Witherspoon,  Gavin,  and  John 

Perry . 2 

Do.  for  James  Witherspoon’s  est.  1 

Do.  for  Hugh  Macauley . 1 

Watson,  Hugh  . 1 

Wimper,  John . 1 

Wilson,  John  . 1 

Do.  for  Grace  Wilson’s  . 1 

Witherspoon,  Elizabeth  . 1 

Witherspoon,  Elizabeth  . 

Do.  for  James  Witherspoon’s  est.  1 

Do.  for  James  Grier  . 1 

Walters,  Jacob  . 1 

Wilson,  Samuel  . 1 

Williams,  Thomas  . 1 


Males 
under  16 
3 


2 


2 

4 


1 

1 

2 

2 

1 

1 

2 


3 

1 

3 

• 

1 

2 

2 


2 

3 


4 

1 

1 

1 

3 


1 


3 


Females  Slaves 


4 
2 

3 

5 

1 

2 

4 
1 
2 
1 
2 
1 

1 

4 
2 

1 

1 

2 

2 

2 

3 

5 
2 


1 


6 

1 

4 

5 
5 
2 


1 

5 

15 


4 


11 

13 


11 

3 

14 


3  27 

3  31 

1 

3  12 


2 

1 

3 

2 

1 

1 

2 


10 

15 

3S 

5 

21 


1  15 

2  26 


170 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Heads  of  Families  Males 

o ter. 16 

Wood,  William  . 1 

Winters,  Robert,  and  John 

Patterson  . 3 

Wilson,  William  . 1 

White,  George  . 1 

Windom,  Jesse  . 1 

Wilkes,  Ester  . 1 

Wkitacre,  Isaac . 1 

Williams,  William . 1 

Walker,  James,  and  Benjamin 

Kuel . 2 

Whitfield,  Thomas . 1 

Witherspoon,  William  . 1 

Walter,  Patrick  . 1 

Weaver,  William  . 1 

Wilson,  David  . 1 

Weatherly,  Isaac . 1 

Wilson,  Robert . 3 

Walker,  James  . 1 

Witherspoon,  John  . 1 

Wilson,  William  . 2 

White,  Anthony  . 3 

Witherspoon,  Gavin,  Jr . 1 

Williams,  John  George  . 1 

Westberry,  William  . 1 

Williams,  William  . 3 

Wilson,  Charles  . 3 

Winter,  Robert . 2 

Walters,  Priscilla  . 1 

Wilkes,  Lemuel  . 1 

Young,  Elizabeth  . 3 

Young,  William  . 1 

Zuill,  James  . 2 


Males 

Females 

Slaves 

under  16 

•  • 

1 

3 

2 

2 

40 

•  • 

•  • 

1 

1 

2 

22 

2 

2 

•  • 

3 

2 

7 

1 

3 

•  • 

1 

3 

1 

1 

4 

18 

2 

2 

•  • 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

1 

3 

•  • 

•  • 

2 

•  • 

1 

5 

19 

2 

2 

5 

2 

2 

21 

•  • 

4 

37 

1 

1 

40 

3 

2 

14 

6 

8 

73 

4 

7 

3S 

3 

5 

9 

4 

2 

5 

1 

2 

1 

•  • 

•  . 

2 

2 

2 

47 

•  • 

1 

•  • 

2 

2 

10 

2 

4 

•  • 

1 

3 

•  • 

•  • 

3 

4 

CHAPTER  XV. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT. 

Whoever  would  understand  the  history  of  Williams¬ 
burg  and  its  present  life  must  first  know  its  religious 
history.  The  dominant  element  among  the  original  set¬ 
tlers  of  Williamsburg  comes  from  a  peculiar  people  whose 
spirit  has  remained  unchanged  in  fundamental  principles 
for  more  than  a  thousand  years.  In  the  sixth  century, 
a  colony  of  Irish-Scots  migrated  to  North  Britain,  settled 
in  the  County  Argyle,  subjugated  the  Pictish  tribe,  and 
established  there  their  kingdom.  Ancient  Caledonia  has 
been  since  that  day  Scotland.  These  ancient  Caledonians 
held  the  Presbyterian  belief  more  than  a  thousand  years 
before  Calvin  and  Knox  were  born.  Later,  these  Scots 
fell  under  the  influence  of  Rome  but  never  have  until 
this  day  surrendered  to  its  authority.  Talliessin,  a  Latin 
poet  who  lived  about  620  A.  D.,  thus  expressed  the  feeling 
of  these  Presbyterians  in  those  far  off  ancient  days: 
(Translation  English  of  about  a  thousand  years  later). 

“Wo  be  to  that  priest  yborn, 

That  will  not  cleanly  weed  his  corn, 

And  preach  his  charge  among. 

Wo  be  to  that  shepherd,  I  say, 

That  will  not  watch  his  fold  alway, 

As  to  his  office  doth  belong. 

Wo  be  to  him  that  doth  not  keep 

From  Romish  wolves  his  erring  sheepe, 

With  staff  and  weapon  strong.” 

Calvin  and  Knox  were  both  born,  trained,  and  educated 
under  Roman  Catholic  influences  and  were  mature  men 
before  they  partially  embraced  Presbyterian  principles. 
The  second  wife  of  Knox  was  Lady  Margaret  Stuart,  a 
militant  Romanist.  Both  of  these  men  undertook  to  color 


172 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Presbyterianism  with  their  own  views.  Neither  one  of 
them  accepted  the  ancient  Presbyterian  faith  as  he  found 
it.  Both  of  them  had  a  Avonderful  influence  on  Pres¬ 
byterianism,  although  results  did  not  reach  great  propor¬ 
tions  until  more  than  a  century  had  passed.  There  are 
yet  in  Scotland  and  in  Williamsburg  County,  South  Caro¬ 
lina,  two  factions  in  the  Presbyterian  Church,  one  of 
which  is  distinctly  the  ancient  Presbyterianism,  and  the 
other  the  Presbyterianism  growing  out  of  the  influence  of 
John  Knox  and  of  John  Calvin. 

After  the  War  of  the  Revolution  had  closed,  in  1783, 
there  were  three  Presbyterian  Congregations  functioning 
in  Williamsburg.  In  two  of  these,  the  Williamsburg 
Presbyterian  Church  and  the  Black  Mingo  Presbyterian 
Church,  the  majorities  held  to  the  ancient  Presbyterian 
idea,  while  in  the  other,  the  Indiantown  Presbyterian  Con¬ 
gregation,  the  Calvin-Knox  majority  obtained.  These 
three  Presbyterian  Churches  were  the  only  religious  or¬ 
ganizations  existing  in  Williamsburg  in  1783.  There  were 
a  handful  of  Episcopalians  and  Baptists  in  the  Black 
Mingo  community  and  a  few  Episcopalians  along  the  San¬ 
tee  River,  but  more  than  ninety-five  per  centum  of  the 
people  in  Williamsburg  were  Presbyterians. 

After  South  Carolina  had  adopted  the  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  in  1788,  the  Presbyterian  Church  had  in 
Williamsburg,  for  the  first  time  in  its  history,  an  un¬ 
hindered  opportunity  to  work  out  its  own  salvation.  It 
had  here,  in  all  probability,  a  fairer  field  than  it  had 
enjoyed  theretofore  at  any  time  or  place  in  the  world. 

In  1783,  the  Williamsburg  Church  had  sent  to  it,  out 
of  the  patronage  scheme  of  the  Church  of  Scotland,  the 
Reverend  Samuel  Kennedy,  a  native  of  Ireland.  He  was 
employed  for  a  term  of  three  years.  The  faction  in  his 
Church  that  inclined  to  the  ancient  Presbyterian  doctrine 
of  Scotland  enjoyed  his  ministry.  The  Calvin-Knox  faction 
of  the  congregation  declared  that  he  preached  Socinianism, 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


173 


that  he  denied  the  Divinity  of  Jesus  Christ,  and  that  his 
sermons  were  more  blasphemous  than  the  sayings  of  in¬ 
fidels.  During  his  first  three  years  ministry,  these  two 
factions  became  sharply  defined  and  each  of  them  was 
enthusiastic  in  promoting  its  own  idea  in  the  matter. 

When  the  three  years  time  for  which  Mr.  Kennedy  had 
been  engaged  expired  in  1786,  the  issue  was  drawn  as  to 
whether  or  not  Mr.  Kennedy’s  services  as  minister  to  the 
congregation  should  be  retained.  The  “auld  lichts”  were 
in  the  majority  in  the  congregation  and  so  Mr.  Kennedy 
was  re-elected  to  serve  the  Church  for  another  term  of 
years.  The  “new  lichts,”  or  the  minority  faction,  im¬ 
mediately  withdrew  and  declared  that  no  longer  would 
it  listen  to  a  man  who  profaned  by  atheistic  preaching 
the  sanctuary  which  its  fathers  had  built.  The  minority 
element  said  that  the  majority  element  was  composed 
largely  of  settlers  who  had  but  lately  come  into  the  com¬ 
munity,  and  did  not  represent  the  faith  of  the  original 
founders  of  the  Church.  Since  the  voting  in  the  con¬ 
gregation  at  that  time  was  done  by  pew  holders  and  many 
of  the  pew  holders  were  not  members  of  the  Church,  the  mi¬ 
nority  element  also  charged  that  it  had  been  voted  out  of 
the  Church,  which  its  fathers  had  founded,  by  men  who 
did  not  even  profess  the  true  faith.  The  minority  element 
could  not  be  reconciled  nor  would  it  participate  in  wor¬ 
ship  in  the  old  church.  The  majority  element  attended 
services  conducted  by  the  Reverend  Samuel  Kennedy  in 
the  old  church  and,  while  it  said  nothing,  evidently  en¬ 
joyed  the  situation. 

Among  the  “auld  lichts”  were  the  McCulloughs,  Strongs, 
Nelsons,  McClarys,  Flaglers,  Hamiltons,  Maxwells,  Mc- 
Cants,  Macauleys,  Porters,  Pressleys,  Burgess’,  McGills, 
McKnights,  McIntoshs,  McDonalds,  Flemings,  and  Mc- 
Elveens.  Among  the  “new  lichts,”  or  minority  faction, 
were  the  Friersons,  Bradleys,  Grahams,  Wilsons,  Wither¬ 
spoons,  McCulloughs,  Blakelys,  McBrides,  Dickeys, 


174 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Ervins,  Scotts,  Matthews,  Hendleys,  and  McClellands. 
It  is  interesting  to  note  that  the  Witherspoons,  Wilsons, 
Fultons,  Ervins,  and  Blakelys  of  this  minority  element 
were  all  lineal  descendants  of  the  Reverend  John  Knox. 

The  minority  element,  immediately  after  its  withdrawal 
from  the  old  congregation,  erected  another  church  on  the 
same  plot  of  ground  about  fifty  yards  east  of  the  old 
church.  For  some  months,  these  two  congregations,  that 
of  the  old  Williamsburg  Church  and  that  of  the  new 
church,  worshiped  in  their  respective  buildings.  These 
two  congregations  held  their  services  at  the  same  hour 
every  Sunday  morning,  and  while  no  member  of  either 
congregation  would  defile  his  feet  by  touching  a  grain  of 
sand  on  the  ground  by  common  consent  controlled  by 
the  other,  yet  when  the  congregation  in  one  of  these 
churches  began  to  pray,  the  congregation  in  the  other 
would  immediately  begin  to  sing  an  old  familiar  hymn, — 
and  those  were  days  when  hymns  were  sung.  One  old 
sinner,  who  lived  more  than  a  half  mile  from  the  church 
at  this  time,  when  reproached  by  his  minister  for  not 
attending,  replied,  “I  sit  on  my  piazza  every  Sunday 
morning  during  the  services  and  can  hear  distinctly  every 
word  preached,  prayed  or  sung.” 

The  feeling  between  these  two  congregations,  within 
a  very  few  months,  grew  so  intense,  that  one  night  in 
August,  1786,  the  minority  element  took  about  one  hundred 
slaves  to  the  old  church,  tore  it  down,  and  removed  even 
its  foundations  from  the  spot.  They  carried  the  pulpit 
of  the  old  church  three  miles  in  the  country  and  hid  it  in 
Samuel  McClelland’s  hay  loft.  The  minority  element 
claimed  that  its  fathers  had  built  this  old  church  and  its 
act  in  tearing  it  down  was  an  act  of  virtue,  for  that  within 
its  sacred  walls  the  name  of  Christ  was  being  notoriously 
profaned.  Just  exactly  what  the  “auld  liclits”  said  when 
early  that  morning  they  saw  nothing  where  their  church 
had  stood  is  left  to  the  imagination. 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


175 


The  Kennedy  faction  brought  action  in  the  Courts  at 
Georgetown  against  the  individuals  composing  this  minor¬ 
ity  element  that  had  destroyed  its  church.  The  Courts 
held  that  the  title  to  the  property  of  the  church  obtained 
in  the  Kennedy  faction  and  the  seceding  faction  that  had 
destroyed  the  church  was  forced  to  pay  in  full  for  the 
damage  it  had  done.  The  old  Williamsburg  Congregation 
then  rebuilt  its  church  on  the  same  spot  the  original  had 
stood. 

From  1786  until  1789,  the  Reverend  Samuel  Kennedy 
was  minister  of  the  ancient  Williamsburg  Church,  from 
which  time  until  1792  the  congregation  was  unsupplied. 
In  that  year,  the  Reverend  James  Malcolmson  of  Belfast, 
Ireland,  was  called.  He  served  the  Williamsburg  Church 
until  1804,  when  he  went  to  Charleston.  Dr.  Malcolmson 
had  received  the  title  of  Doctor  of  Medicine  from  the  Uni¬ 
versity  at  Edinburgh  and  was  a  licensed  physician.  He 
practiced  medicine  in  his  congregation.  In  addition  to  his 
pastoral  charge  and  his  practice  of  medicine,  he  taught  a 
large  grammar  school  at  Kingstree  and  was  the  moving 
spirit  in  the  establishment  of  the  Academy  in  Kingstree. 
The  Reverend  James  Malcolmson,  Theodore  Gourdin, 
Robert  Witherspoon,  James  Davis,  John  Nesmith,  and 
John  Frierson  were  incorporated  by  the  General  Assembly 
of  South  Carolina,  December  19,  1795,  as  trustees  of  the 
Williamsburg  Academy  and  were  empowered  to  raise  by 
lotteries  a  sum  not  exceeding  five  thousand  dollars  to 
defray  the  necessary  building  expenses  of  the  school. 
From  this  money  raised  by  lotteries,  this  board  of  trus¬ 
tees  erected  an  academy  building  at  the  head  of  Bay 
Street.  Dr.  Malcolmson  possessed  a  pleasing  personality 
and  was  probably  one  of  the  ablest  men  who  ever  preached 
in  Williamsburg.  He  died  of  yellow  fever  in  Charleston 
in  1804,  in  the  thirty-sixth  year  of  his  age. 

From  1804  until  1819,  the  Williamsburg  Church  re¬ 
mained  without  a  minister,  although  the  Reverend  Wil- 


176 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


liam  Knox,  of  the  Black  Mingo  Church,  and  other  minis¬ 
ters  of  the  Church  of  Scotland  preached  in  the  church  and 
the  Elders  kept  up  the  organization.  In  1819,  the  Rev¬ 
erend  John  Covert,  a  native  of  New  York  and  a  graduate 
of  Princeton  Theological  Seminary,  who  had  been  serving 
the  Indiantown  and  the  Bethel  Congregations  most  ac¬ 
ceptably  for  two  years,  withdrew  from  the  Presbytery  of 
South  Carolina  and  resigned  as  minister  of  the  Bethel 
and  Indiantown  Churches.  He  was  then  ordained  by  the 
Congregational  Association  of  South  Carolina  “in  the  In¬ 
dependent  Order”  that  he  might  be  qualified  to  become 
the  minister  of  the  old  Williamsburg  Congregation. 

This  reordination  of  Mr.  Covert  “in  the  Independent 

* 

Order”  after  he  had  been  ordained  by  the  American  Pres¬ 
byterian  Church,  that  he  might  become  minister  of  the 
old  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Church,  is  a  most  signifi¬ 
cant  fact.  It  throws  much  light  on  the  controversy  existing 
between  the  two  factions  in  the  Williamsburg  Congrega¬ 
tion.  Mr.  Covert  brought  life  and  vigor  into  the  old 
Williamsburg  Congregation,  although  he  died  in  1822 
after  having  served  the  congregation  for  but  a  short 
period.  He  was  a  young  man  of  force  and  played  well 
the  difficult  part  he  had.  After  the  death  of  Mr.  Covert, 
the  old  Williamsburg  Church  had  no  minister  until  1828. 

The  minority  faction  that  had  seceded  from  the  old 
Williamsburg  Church  in  1786,  on  account  of  the  retention 
of  the  Reverend  Samuel  Kennedy  as  minister  and  which 
had  built  its  church  across  the  road  about  fifty  yards 
from  the  original  church,  called  its  organization  the  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Presbyterian  Congregation  until  1803.  So, 
from  1786  until  1803,  there  were  two  Presbyterian  churches 
at  Kingstree,  within  fifty  yards  of  each  other,  each  one 
claiming  the  rights  of  the  ancient  Williamsburg  Congrega¬ 
tion  and  denominating  itself  by  the  original  name. 

The  minority  element,  immediately  after  its  secession 
in  1786,  united  with  the  Presbytery  of  South  Carolina 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


177 


and  petitioned  that  body  for  the  services  of  a  minister, 
and  the  Reverend  Thomas  Reece  was  secured  for  this 
Church  one  Sunday  in  each  month.  In  1788,  Reverend 
James  Edwards,  Reverend  Robert  McCullough,  and  the 
Reverend  Thomas  Reece  each  preached  one  Sunday  in  a 
month  at  this  church.  In  1789,  the  Reverend  Robert 
Finley  preached  one  Sunday  each  month.  In  October, 
1789,  the  Reverend  James  W.  Stephenson  became  minis¬ 
ter  for  this  church  at  the  King’s  Tree  and  the  Indiantown 
Church.  This  faction  in  the  Williamsburg  Church  and 
the  Indiantown  Church  belonged  to  the  Presbytery  of 
South  Carolina  and  were  united  in  their  efforts  as  well 
as  their  faith  in  the  Trinity. 

Dr.  Stephenson  served  this  part  of  the  Williamsburg 
Congregation,  known  after  1803  as  the  Bethel  Congregm 
tion,  and  the  Indiantown  Congregation,  for  nineteen  years, 
and  was  possibly  the  most  influential  minister  who  ever 
lived  in  Williamsburg.  He  was  born  of  Scotch-Irish 
stock  in  Augusta  County,  Virginia,  in  1756.  Soon  after 
that  time,  his  parents  moved  to  the  old  Lancaster  Dis¬ 
trict,  South  Carolina,  and  settled  near  old  Waxhaw 
Church.  He  was  educated  at  Mount  Zion  College  and 
taught  school  in  the  vicinity  of  old  Waxhaw  Church.  Pres¬ 
ident  Andrew  Jackson  was  one  of  his  pupils.  He  was 
a  valiant  soldier  under  General  Sumter  in  the  Revolu¬ 
tion  and  participated  in  the  battles  at  Blackstock,  Hang¬ 
ing  Rock,  and  other  engagements. 

When  Dr.  Stephenson  served  the  Bethel  faction  of  the 
Williamsburg  Congregation,  he  found  a  most  difficult  task. 
His  congregation  and  another  congregation  of  the  same 
name  had  been  at  daggers’  points  for  about  four  years.  The 
individuals  composing  these  two  congregations  lived  in  the 
same  community,  but  a  member  of  one  would  have  no  rela¬ 
tions  whatsoever  with  a  member  of  the  other.  This  condi¬ 
tion  continued  all  during  Dr.  Stephenson’s  ministry  in 


178 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Williamsburg.  He  showed  great  tact  and  discretion  in 
handling  the  complicated  condition. 

“In  the  reproval  of  vice,  as  well  as  its  removal,  Mr. 
Stephenson  was  not  less  successful  than  in  the  more  wel¬ 
come  functions  of  his  office.  A  number  of  pernicious 
practices  were  found  prevalent  in  the  congregations  when 
he  entered  upon  his  duties  in  them,  which  he  felt  con¬ 
scientiously  bound  to  correct,  trusting  to  God  for  the 
consequences.  The  principal  of  these  were  dancing,  horse¬ 
racing,  and  treating  at  funerals.  In  the  last  century,  the 
practice  of  drinking  at  the  burial  of  the  dead  prevailed 
to  a  melancholy  extent ;  and  not  a  few  instances  are  given 
of  ministers  being  disciplined  for  indulging  too  freely  on 
such  occasions.  And  too  frequently  the  living  were  not 
sufficiently  sober  to  follow  with  becoming  decorum  their 
departed  friends  to  the  grave.  The  people,  convinced  by 
the  warning  voice  of  their  pastor,  put  an  end  to  the  prac¬ 
tice.  Another  monster  evil  which  he  was  successful  in 
opposing  was  horse  racing,  usually  followed  by  music  and 
dancing,  and  kindred  amusements.  Regarding  these  as 
wholly  inconsistent  with  Christian  character,  he  ceased  not 
to  denounce  them  as  such  until  they  were  mostly  discon¬ 
tinued.  And  it  is  but  justice  to  state,  that  to  Mr.  Stephen¬ 
son  belongs  the  honor,  so  far  as  it  is  known,  of  commenc¬ 
ing,  in  this  part  of  the  country,  the  benevolent  work  of 
evangelizing  the  negroes  and  preventing  them  from  labor¬ 
ing  on  the  Sabbath  for  themselves  as  they  had  to  gen¬ 
erally  been  permited  to  do.”  (Howe’s  History  of  the 
Presbyterian  Church,  page  586.) 

Indiantown  Presbyterian  Church  and  the  Bethel  fac¬ 
tion  of  the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Congregation  both 
promoted  American  Presbyterian  principles  and  had  the 
same  minister  from  1790,  until  1828.  These  two  churches 
were  so  closely  related  in  faith  and  works  for  all  this 
period  that  they  may  be  considered  together.  It  will  be 
recalled  that  the  Indiantown  Church  was  destroyed  by 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


179 


the  Tories  under  the  command  of  Major  Wemyss  in  1780. 
The  congregation  assembled  for  worship  until  1783,  the 
close  of  the  War,  under  bush  arbors  where  the  original 
church  had  stood.  One  of  the  first  cares  of  this  congre¬ 
gation  at  the  close  of  the  War  was  the  rebuilding  of  its 
church.  The  Reverend  Thomas  Hill  supplied  it  in  1783 
and  1784;  the  Reverend  Thomas  Reese  in  1787 ;  the  Rev¬ 
erend  Robert  McCollough  in  1788,  and  the  Reverend 
Robert  Finley  in  1789,  when  Dr.  Stephenson  took  charge 
of  the  congregation.  Under  the  ministry  of  Dr.  Stephen¬ 
son,  the  Bethel  Church  and  the  Indiantown  Church  grew 
in  numbers  and  influence.  In  1802,  the  Bethel  Church 
had  one  hundred  and  four  communicants  and  the  Indian¬ 
town  Church  had  ninety-six. 

In  1803,  the  Bethel  faction  secured  three  acres  of  land 
from  the  estate  of  James  Witherspoon,  Jr.,  on  the  north 
side  of  the  road  leading  from  Kingstree  to  Cedar  Swamp, 
one  mile  east  of  the  present  Williamsburg  Court  House, 
whereon  it  built  the  Bethel  Church.  When  this  building 
had  been  completed,  this  faction  abandoned  the  Church 
it  had  built  in  1786  across  the  road  from  the  old  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Church  and  worshipped  thereafter  in  its  new 
sanctuary.  The  heads  of  families  of  the  Bethel  Congrega* 
tion  in  1803  were  as  follows :  Joseph  McKee,  Robert 
Frierson,  Sr.,  James  Bradley,  John  Graham,  Samuel 
Wilson,  John  Wilson,  John  Frierson,  Sr.,  Robert  P. 
Witherspoon,  Gavin  Witherspoon,  William  Frierson,  Sr., 
James  McBride,  Elias  Frierson,  Joseph  Witherspoon,  Wil¬ 
liam  McElroy,  William  McCullough,  William  Dobbin, 
James  Blakely,  James  Witherspoon,  John  Blakely,  Jen- 
nett  Blakely,  Margaret  Frierson,  Samuel  Frierson,  Wil¬ 
liam  Frierson,  Mary  Fleming,  James  Armstrong,  Moses  J. 
Frierson,  Robert  Frierson,  Jr.,  John  Arnett,  John  Frier¬ 
son,  Jr.,  William  Frierson,  Jr.,  David  Frierson,  John 
Dickey,  Paul  Fulton,  Joshua  Frierson,  George  Frierson, 
David  McClary,  Jane  Ervin,  John  Scott,  William  Wilson, 


180 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Robert  L.  Witherspoon,  Isaac  Matthews,  John  Matthews, 
Jr.,  John  Fulton,  Robert  Frierson,  (son  of  Robert), 
Thomas  Stephenson,  Robert  Witherspoon,  Elizabeth 
Witherspoon,  John  Knox,  Elizabeth  Heathly,  and 
Thomas  Witherspoon. 

This  Bethel  Congregation  was  composed  of  markedly 
pious  people.  While  they  were  Puritanic  in  their  con¬ 
ceptions  of  life,  they  were  progressive  in  spirit.  They 
organized  and  promoted  the  first  Sunday  School  and  the 
first  Bible  Society  in  Williamsburg  and  fostered  many 
new  ideas  in  religions  worship  which  now  prevail.  Out 
of  this  congregation  came  many  exceptionally  religious 
men  and  women  who  helped  in  a  large  measure  to  direct 
the  saner  religious  thought  of  that  day. 

The  intensity  of  the  unpleasant  feeling  existing  be¬ 
tween  the  Bethel  and  the  Williamsburg  Congregations 
was  so  repulsive  to  the  Bethel  Congregation  that  a  large 
majority  of  it  migrated  from  this  section.  From  1805 
until  1815,  a  great  many  of  them  moved  into  Marion  and 
Sumter  Districts  in  South  Carolina ;  some  went  to  Georgia 
and  others  to  Alabama. 

On  March  25, 1805,  Moses  B.  Frierson  and  family,  James 
Armstrong  and  family,  James  Blakely  and  family,  Paul 
Fulton  and  family,  members  of  the  Bethel  Congregation 
and  part  of  the  Reverend  James  Stephenson’s  charge,  emi¬ 
grated  to  Maury  County,  Tennessee,  and  there  settled  on 
lands  purchased  from  the  heirs  of  General  Green.  On 
March  6,  1806,  the  following  families  from  the  Bethel 
Congregation  followed:  John  Dickey,  Esq.,  and  family; 
Mrs.  Margaret  Frierson  and  children;  Mrs.  Janette 
Blakely  and  children ;  Samuel  Frierson  and  family ; 
Thomas  Stephenson  and  family;  William  Frierson  and 
family;  William  J.  Frierson  and  family;  Samuel  Wither¬ 
spoon  and  family;  Mrs.  Mary  Fleming  and  children;  and 
John  W.  Stephenson  and  family.  A  little  later,  Robert 
Frierson,  Joshua  Frierson,  and  Samuel  Mayes  and  their 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


181 


families  left  Williamsburg  and  settled  with  their  friends 
in  Tennessee.  The  Reverend  James  W.  Stephenson, 
pastor  of  Bethel  and  Indiantown  Churches,  resigned  his 
charges  in  Williamsburg  and  became  the  pastor  of  that 
part  of  his  flock  that  had  settled  in  Tennessee.  These 
people  and  their  descendants  have  since  that  time  played 
a  most  substantial  and  a  worthily  conspicuous  part  in 
the  development  of  Tennessee. 

The  Reverend  Andrew  Flynn  succeeded  Mr.  Stephenson 
as  pastor  of  Bethel  and  Indiantown  Churches  in  1808. 
Mr.  Flynn  was  succeeded  within  less  than  a  year  by  the 
Reverend  Daniel  Brown.  At  the  same  time  Mr.  Brown 
was  pastor  of  the  Indiantown  Church.  He  served  these 
two  congregations  for  about  ten  years.  He  did  signal 
service  Christianizing  negro  slaves  and  bettering  their 
conditions.  He  fell  dead  on  his  wav  between  Indiantown 
and  Bethel  Churches.  On  his  person  was  found  $425.00 
in  currency,  which  was  an  enormous  amount  of  money 
for  any  man  to  have  in  possession  at  that  time. 

In  1818,  the  Reverend  Robert  Wilson  James,  a  graduate 
of  South  Carolina  College  and  of  Princeton  and  a  grand¬ 
son  of  Major  John  James,  was  chosen  as  pastor  of  the 
Bethel  and  Indiantown  Churches.  He  was  ordained  in 
1819. 

The  elders  of  the  Bethel  Church,  prior  to  the  ministry 
of  Mr.  James,  were:  Robert  Frierson,  Samuel  Frierson, 
Dr.  John  Graham,  Samuel  Wilson,  John  Wilson,  William 
Wilson,  and  Thomas  Witherspoon.  When  Mr.  James  be¬ 
gan  his  ministry,  of  these  Samuel  Wilson,  William  Wilson, 
Robert  Frierson,  and  Thomas  Witherspoon  were  still 
living  and  these  were  added  by  ordination  to  the  Session : 
David  McClary,  Robert  I.  Wilson,  Samuel  E.  Fulton, 
Robert  S.  Witherspoon,  and  I.  B.  Witherspoon.  Bethel 
and  Indiantown  Churches  were  served  by  the  Reverend 
Robert  W.  James  until  1827,  when  he  removed  to  Salem 
Black  River  Church,  Sumter  District. 


182 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


From  1786  until  1828  the  Williamsburg  Congregation 
was  divided.  Great  bitterness  between  the  congregations 
of  Williamsburg  and  Bethel  made  social  relations  so  un¬ 
pleasant  that  they  were  impossible.  In  1802,  fifteen  years 
after  the  disunion,  a  great  camp  meeting  was  held  by 
the  Reverend  James  W.  Stephenson  and  others  at  the 
Sandhills,  about  three  miles  west  of  Kingstree,  yet  the 
burning  eloquence  of  these  powerful  preachers  even  at 
such  a  time  was  not  able  to  sear  deeper  into  the  souls  of 
these  religious  feudists  than  their  old  hate.  It  is  said 
that  members  of  both  congregations  attended  this  camp 
meeting,  but,  even  in  moments  of  supreme  religious  ecstasy, 
no  member  of  the  one  would  touch  or  speak  to  the  other, 
nor  would  the  slave  of  the  one  regard  the  slave  of  the 
other. 

The  faithful  labors  of  the  Reverend  Mr.  James  and  the 
Reverend  William  Wilson,  both  of  the  blood  of  both  fac¬ 
tions  and  men  of  power,  had  much  to  do  with  the  failing 
of  the  hate  between  these  two  congregations.  The  ven- 
arable  John  McClary  seemed  to  hold  the  confidence,  res¬ 
pect,  and  veneration  of  both  congregations,  the  Bethel 
and  the  Williamsburg.  He  alone  was  a  member  of  each 
of  the  churches  and  a  ruling  elder  in  both  of  them.  In 
1828,  after  a  separation  of  forty-two  years,  he  secured  the 
consent  of  both  congregations  to  attend  and  hear  a  sermon 
in  the  old  Williamsburg  Church  on  Tuesday,  June  15, 
1828.  Mr.  McClary  on  the  Sunday  preceding  had  induced 
the  Session  of  Elders  of  the  Bethel  Church  to  propose 
terms  of  union  to  the  Williamsburg  Church.  The  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Church  immediately  thereafter  invited  the 
the  Bethel  Congregation  to  unite  with  them  in  hearing 
Mr.  Ervin’s  sermon  on  Tuesday.  After  Mr.  Ervin’s  ser¬ 
mon,  Mr.  McClary  was  called  to  the  chair  and  a  union 
of  the  two  congregations  was  effected  without  a  dissent¬ 
ing  vote.  The  property  rights  of  the  Williamsburg  Con¬ 
gregation  were  retained  and  the  ecclesiastical  connection 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


183 


of  the  Bethel  Congregation  with  the  Presbytery  of  South 
Carolina  was  accepted  by  the  reunited  congregation.  The 
Williamsburg  Congregation  had  theretofore  held  its  com 
nection  directly  with  the  Church  of  Scotland. 

Here  follows  a  copy  of  the  minutes  of  the  joint  meeting 
of  the  Williamsburg  and  the  Bethel  Congregations,  when 
union  was  effected : 

“At  a  Meeting  of  the  Members  of  the  old  Presbyterian 
Church  and  the  Members  of  the  Bethel  Church  held  at 
the  old  church  on  Tuesday,  the  17th  June,  1828,  there 
being  a  Majority  of  the  Members  of  each  congregation 
present,  they  proceeded  to  business.  John  McClary,  Esq., 
was  appointed  chairman  and  R.  G.  Ferrell,  secretary. 

“1st  Resolved  that  these  two  churches  become  United 
and  that  the  two  become  one  Congregation  and  that  they 
Worship  in  the  old  or  original  Church. 

“2nd  Resolved  that  this  Congregation  Join  with  the 
Indiantown  Congregation  and  employ  a  Minister,  and 
the  Minister  so  employed  Preach  one  half  of  his  time  in 
this  Church  and  the  other  half  in  the  Indiantown  Church. 

“3rd  Resolved  that  Mr.  William  Wilson,  Colonel  Wil¬ 
liam  Salters,  Samuel  E.  Fulton,  Isaac  Nelson,  Sr.,  Dr. 
James  Bradley,  and  H.  D.  Shaw  be  a  Committee  to  Inform 
the  Reverend  John  McKee  Ervin  that  we  wish  to  give 
him  a  call  as  our  Pastor  for  one  half  of  his  time. 

“4th  Resolved  that  the  Members  of  this  Congregation 
do  meet  at  the  Church  on  the  last  Saturday  in  this  Month 
in  order  to  regulate  the  business  of  the  Church.” 

“At  a  Meeting  of  the  Members  of  the  Church  on 
Saturday,  the  28th  June,  1828.  The  Committee  appointed 
to  say  to  the  Reverend  John  M.  Ervin  that  we  intended  giv¬ 
ing  him  a  call  as  our  Pastor  report  that  they  have  done  so 
and  that  they  think  there  is  a  prospect  of  our  getting 
him. 

“1st  Resolved  that  H.  D.  Shaw,  Dr.  James  Bradley, 
Samuel  E.  Fulton,  Thomas  Duke,  and  Robert  G.  Ferrell 


184 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


be  appointed  a  Committee  to  meet  the  Indiantown  Com¬ 
mittee  to  give  the  Reverend  John  McKee  Ervin  a  call  as 
our  Minister. 

“2nd  Resolved  that  Robert  Strong,  Daniel  Frierson, 
and  Isaac  Nelson,  Sr.,  be  a  Committee  to  regulate  the 
Seats  of  the  Church  and  to  make  what  repairs  to  the 
Church  they  may  find  necessary. 

“3rd  Resolved  that  the  Committee  appointed  to  meet  the 
Indiantown  Committee  be  authorized  to  inform  the  Rev¬ 
erend  John  M.  Ervin  that  this  Congregation  will  give  him 
three  hundred  and  fifty  dollars  for  the  half  of  his  time 
with  the  use  of  the  Glebe  Lands  of  this  Church  should  he 
prefer  living  on  them  to  living  in  Indiantown. 

“4th  Resolved  that  the  salary  of  the  Minister  be  raised 
by  subscription. 

“5th  Resolved  that  the  Committee  appointed  to  regulate 
the  Seats  of  the  Church  cause  all  the  seats  to  be  numbered 
and  that  the  heads  of  families  draw  their  numbers  with 
this  exception,  that  is,  when  families  are  small,  the  Com¬ 
mittee  shall  have  to  themselves  the  power  of  putting  two 
in  one  seat. 

“6th  Resolved  that  Colonel  William  Salters,  Captain 
William  S.  Brockinton,  Isaac  Nelson,  Jr.,  and  D.  H.  Mc- 
Clary  be  trustees  for  the  said  congregation. 

“7th  Resolved  that  Captain  Isaac  Nelson  be  appointed 
treasurer. 

“8tli  Resolved  that  the  trustees  be  authorized  to  invite 
a  minister  to  preach  occasionally  in  our  Church  until 
the  Reverend  John  M.  Ervin  take  charge  of  the  Congrega¬ 
tion,  should  he  accept  our  call,  and  that  the  ministers 
so  invited  by  the  trustees  be  paid  by  the  congregation  five 
dollars  for  each  sermon  preached  by  them. 

“Adjourned — R.  G.  Ferrell,  Secretary.” 

It  is  interesting  to  note  that  Captain  William  S.  Brock¬ 
inton  was  not  a  member  of  this  or  of  anv  other  church. 

t/ 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


185 


He  was,  however,  a  pew  holder  in  the  church,  and  by 
virtue  of  that  fact  was  eligible  for  appointment  as  trus¬ 
tee. 

There  were  several  Presbyterian  Churches  in  the  terri¬ 
tory  surrounding  Williamsburg  that  had  considerable  in¬ 
fluence  on  this  district  during  the  period  between  1780 
and  1830.  These  congregations  had  been  organized  by 
people  migrating  from  Williamsburg;  and,  notwithstand¬ 
ing  the  condition  of  what  they  called  roads,  kept  up 
communication  with  their  friends  and  relatives  in  this 
district.  Of  these  churches,  Salem  Black  River  in  the 
Sumter  District  and  Hopewell  and  Aimwell  on  the  Pee 
Dee  had  been  founded  between  1760  and  1770  and  were 
large  and  aggressive  churches.  They  were  about  forty  miles 
from  the  King’s  Tree.  This  great  distance  meant  much 
at  that  time,  although  the  congregations  of  these  churches 
usually  came  to  Williamsburg  to  attend  spring  and  fall 
communion  services  and  camp  meetings. 

In  September,  1801,  John  Witherspoon,  John  Wither¬ 
spoon,  Jr.,  Archibald  Knox,  William  McIntosh,  Thomas 
Rhodus,  Daniel  Epps,  John  McFadden,  Thomas  McFad- 
den,  and  Samuel  Fleming  met  at  the  home  of  Mrs.  Mary 
Conyers,  who  lived  about  half  way  between  the  Williams¬ 
burg  Church  and  the  Salem  Black  River  Church,  and 
organized  a  Presbyterian  Congregation  for  their  commun¬ 
ity.  John  Witherspoon,  John  Witherspoon,  Jr.,  and 
Archibald  Knox  were  named  as  its  first  elders.  On  No¬ 
vember  10,  1802,  the  building  was  completed  and  called 
Midway  because  it  was  half  way  between  the  two  well 
known  churches  just  named.  The  Reverend  C.  G.  Mc¬ 
Whorter  gave  one-fourth  of  his  time  to  this  new  church. 

In  1809,  Midway  had  twelve  members.  That  year  the 
Reverend  John  Cousar  preached  two  Sundays  every  month 
at  Midway  and  the  other  two  at  the  Brewington  Church. 
Midway  Church  is  located  on  the  northeastern  branch  of 
Black  River  in  what  is  now  Clarendon  County.  In  1811, 


186 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


the  Brewington  Presbyterian  Church,  south  of  the  south¬ 
western  branch  of  Black  River,  was  built.  The  Nelson, 
Plowden,  Pendergrass,  and  Montgomery  families  com¬ 
posed  its  membership.  Midway  and  the  Brewington 
churches  grew  rapidly  in  strength.  In  1829,  Midway  had 
one  hundred  forty-one  members  and  Brewington  one  hun¬ 
dred  fourteen.  These  two  communities  were  at  that  time 
enjoying  much  material  prosperity.  Probably  half  of 
the  membership  in  these  two  churches  lived  in  Williams¬ 
burg  District. 

Lower  Saint  Mark’s  Church  (Protestant  Episcopal) 
was  built  in  1809  on  the  south  side  of  the  Santee  road  where 
it  was  crossed  by  what  is  now  the  Clarendon-Williamsburg 
County  line.  In  this  section,  there  lived  many  descen¬ 
dants  of  French  Huguenot  families  and  many  of  English 
and  Scotch  descent  who  had  always  been  conformists  in 
religion  and  were  communicants  of  the  Church  of  Eng¬ 
land.  The  Friersons,  Lesesnes,  Keels,  McDonalds,  Con¬ 
nors,  Olivers,  Gourdins,  Canteys,  Cordes,  and  Doughtys 
built  this  Lower  Saint  Mark’s  Church.  The  land  for  the 
site  was  donated  by  Charles  Frederick  Lesesne.  William 
Doughty,  Major  William  McDonald,  and  Joseph  Francis 
Cantey  were  the  first  lay  readers  in  this  church.  Lower 
Saint  Mark’s  had  difficulty  in  all  its  history  in  securing 
ministers.  However,  it  frequently  had  services  conducted 
by  visiting  priests  of  the  Church.  In  1825,  Bishop  Bowen 
confirmed  the  following  as  communicants  of  this  Church : 
Richard  Keels,  Archibald  McDonald,  William  J.  R. 
Cantey,  Miss  Susan  McDonald  (Mrs.  John  L.  Felder), 
Miss  Laura  McDonald  (Mrs.  Henry  B.  Singleton),  and 
Miss  Mary  M.  Keels  (Mrs.  A.  C.  McKnight). 

Frequently,  Methodist  ministers  on  the  Santee  Circuit 
held  services  in  this  church.  In  1835,  Charles  Lesesne, 
a  vestryman,  invited  the  Reverend  John  R.  Pucket,  the 
junior  Methodist  preacher  on  the  Santee  Circuit,  to 
preach  regularly  at  Saint  Mark’s;  and,  from  that  time, 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


187 


Saint  Mark’s  became  a  part  of  the  Santee  Circuit,  Metho¬ 
dist  Episcopal  Church,  and  nearly  all  of  its  communicants 
became  members  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 
However,  J.  W.  Keels,  who  died  in  1865,  retained  his 
membership  in  Saint  Mark’s  Episcopal  Church  until  the 
time  of  his  death.  The  silver  christening  basin  used  in 
Saint  Mark’s  Church,  while  it  belonged  to  the  Protes¬ 
tant  Episcopal  Church,  was  left  in  the  possession  of 
Charles  Lesesne,  surviving  vestryman,  in  1835.  On  this 
basin  was  engraved,  “Presented  the  12th  of  January,  1820, 
to  Lower  Saint  Mark’s  Church,  Williamsburgh,  by  Mrs. 
Mary  Grimke  Ward.”  (These  statements  about  Lower 
St.  Mark’s  Church  were  taken  from  the  History  of  St. 
Mark’s  Church,  by  Dr.  James  M.  Burgess.) 

On  February  13,  1785,  Bishop  Francis  Asbury,  under 
the  guidance  of  the  Reverend  Jesse  Lee  and  the  Reverend 
Henry  Willis,  entered  South  Carolina  at  Cheraw.  The 
party  spent  some  time  in  prayer  in  Saint  David’s  Church 
and  proceeded  on  its  journey  to  Long  Bluff  Court  House, 
thence  to  Mr.  Kimbrough’s,  thence  across  Lynch’s  Creek, 
Black  Mingo,  and  Black  River,  and  by  the  usual  road  of 
travel  to  Georgetown,  where  they  arrived  on  February 
23.  On  March  13,  the  party  travelled  from  Georgetown 
to  the  King’s  Tree  and  visited  at  Mr.  Durant’s.  From 
the  King’s  Tree,  Bishop  Asbury  went  to  Wilmington, 
North  Carolina.  The  next  year,  Bishop  Asbury  crossed 
over  Lynch’s  Creek  into  Williamsburg  and  proceeded  along 
the  way  he  had  made  the  year  before  to  Georgetown. 
He  writes,  in  his  diary,  “We  crossed  Lynch’s  Creek  and 
wet  my  books  coming  to  Black  Mingo  where  we  were 
lodged  at  a  tavern  and  were  well  used,  sleeping  upstairs. 
I  was  afraid,  if  not  the  roof,  the  shingles  would  be  taken 
away  with  the  wind.  On  Saturday,  January  7,  I  preached 
at  Georgetown  twice  to  about  eighty  people  each  time. 
Georgetown  is  a  poor  place  for  religion.”  From  George¬ 
town,  Bishop  Asbury  went  to  the  vicinity  of  Lenud’s  Ferry 


188 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


where  he  was  entertained  at  the  home  of  Thomas  Boone 
and  also  at  Robert  Sutton’s.  From  that  point,  he  preached 
along  the  Santee  River  road  to  Murray’s  Ferry,  where 
he  was  entertained  at  the  homes  of  Isaac  Keels  and  of 
Darby  Pendergrass.  After  remaining  in  the  vicinity  of 
Murray’s  Ferry  for  a  few  days,  he  proceeded  on  his  way  to 
Charleston. 

Bishop  Asbury  made  many  visits  to  South  Carolina 
during  the  next  thirty  years  and  usually  followed  this 
same  route  through  Williamsburg.  He  preached  a  new 
doctrine  and  prepared  the  way  for  a  new  church.  The 
part  of  Williamsburg  that  he  usually  visited  along  what 
is  now  the  Georgetown-Williamsburg  County  line  and 
the  Santee  River  were  the  only  portions  at  that  time  not 
completely  within  the  control  of  the  Presbyterian  Church ; 
and  these  outlying  sections  along  which  his  journey  lay 
were  inhabited  by  people  who  had  been  communicants 
of  the  Church  of  England.  Even  these  people  did  not 
look  upon  this  great  organizer  with  anything  like  favor. 
The  reception  which  he  received  at  the  King’s  Tree  on  his 
only  visit  to  this  Presbyterian  territory  was  very  much 
like  that  accorded  a  Mormon  missionary  in  Kingstree  in 
the  year  1923. 

Even  among  the  Episcopalians,  Bishop  Asbury  was 
hardly  welcome,  and  but  few  homes  on  his  route  would 
receive  him.  However,  Samuel  Haselden,  who  lived  on 
Muddy  Creek  in  the  northeastern  corner  of  Williamsburg, 
was  always  glad  to  entertain  him  and  so  were  Robert 
Sutton,  of  Suttons,  and  Isaac  Keels  and  Darby  Pender¬ 
grass,  of  Murray’s  Ferry. 

With  the  coming  of  Bishop  Asbury  into  South  Carolina, 
there  came  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  When  he 
came  into  Williamsburg,  the  Methodist  denomination  was 
practically  unknown  in  these  parts.  He  preached  and 
prayed  and  labored  for  many  years  without  realizing  what 
results  would  come  from  his  ministry.  Wherever  he 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


189 


went,  lie  conducted  services  whenever  permitted.  He  sent 
missionaries  and  circuit  riders  into  this  territory  for 
nearly  forty  years  before  there  was  a  Methodist  Church 
within  the  limits  of  Williamsburg  District. 

On  many  of  these  missionary  journeys  of  Bishop  Asbury 
through  Williamsburg,  he  records  interesting  experiences. 
In  1787,  he  writes  of  his  attempting  to  cross  at  Murray’s 
Ferry.  “In  one  place/7  he  says,  “the  planters  had  laid 
down  about  a  hundred  logs  of  wood,  which  they  called 
puncheons,  in  order  to  mend  the  road.  These,  owing 
to  the  heavy  rains,  were  loosened  and  floated  on  the 
water  which  covered  the  road.  We  were  obliged  to  turn 
back  into  the  dark,  miserable  road  until  we  arrived  at  the 
house  of  a  little  planter  who  very  kindly  took  us  in  and 
gave  us  a  roasted  turkey  for  our  supper  and  the  best 
beds  in  his  house  to  lie  on.77  “On  March  30,  1804,  we 
lodged  at  Henry  Britton’s,  where  we  were  most  kindly 
entertained.77 

“Saturday,  November  14,  1805,  I  committed  the  re¬ 
mains  of  Elijah  Rembert  to  the  dust.  He  was  sixty-two 
years  old  and  for  the  last  sixteen  years  of  his  life  had 
been  a  member  of  our  society.  There  is  a  revival  in  the 
society  here,  so  much  for  camp  meetings.  I  am  now  in 
the  fortieth  year  of  my  labor  in  the  ministry,  thirty-four 
years  of  my  time  having  been  spent  in  America,77 

“October  27,  1806,  we  made  twenty-five  miles  to  Mur¬ 
ray’s  Ferry.  We  were  five  hours  in  the  swamp.  Heat, 
mosquitoes,  and  gallinippers — plenty.  Monday,  January 
1,  1810,  we  crossed  Potato  Ferry.  Missing  our  way,  we 
dropped  in  upon  Mr.  John  Graham.  He  was  a  Presby¬ 
terian,  but  showed  us  much  kindness.  December  16,  1810, 
I  visited  Thomas  Boone.  His  father  was  the  first  to  en¬ 
tertain  me  at  lower  Santee  Ferry.77  Bishop  Asbury  often 
refers  to  Theodore  Gourdin,  “that  excellent  gentleman 
who  owns  all  the  ferries  on  Black  River.77 


190 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


From  1785,  when  Bishop  Asbury  came  into  Williams¬ 
burg,  until  1820,  there  was  no  Methodist  Church  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg,  but,  during  all  that  time,  it  was  kept  on  Metho¬ 
dist  circuits,  and  Methodist  circuit  riders  preached  and 
prayed  and  sang  in  private  homes  wherever  they  were 
received,  in  barns  on  plantations  wherever  they  were  per¬ 
mitted,  in  bush  arbors  erected  for  them  and  most  fre¬ 
quently  at  cross  roads  gatherings.  Up  to  1820,  there 
were  very  few  men  in  this  district  who  would  admit  with¬ 
out  half  apology  that  they  belonged  to  a  Methodist  Society. 
It  was  not  a  popular  doctrine  that  Bishop  Asbury  and  his 
followers  preached.  It  required  that  men  and  women 
walk  in  the  straight  and  narrow  way.  It  had  no  history. 

In  1820,  Ebenezer  Methodist  Church  was  built  on  Muddy 
Creek  in  Williamsburg  on  the  land  of  Samuel  Haselden. 
When  Mr.  Haselden  died  in  1822,  he  left  in  his  will  two 
acres  of  land  on  which  this  church  was  located  to  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  This  was  the  first  parcel 
of  land  that  the  Methodist  Church  ever  owned  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  District.  Samuel  Haselden  was  one  of  the  men 
in  Williamsburg  who  received  Bishop  Asbury  kindly  from 
his  first  visit.  This  old  Ebenezer  Church  has  maintained 
its  organization  until  the  present  day  and  is  now  one  of 
the  churches  of  the  Hemingway  Circuit. 

In  1825,  Robert  Sutton  gave  the  following  deed  which 
is  recorded  in  Book  C  at  page  229,  Williamsburg  County 
Registry.  “State  of  South  Carolina.  To  all  people  to 
whom  these  presents  shall  come :  Know  ye,  that  I,  Robert 
Sutton,  of  Williamsburg  District  in  the  State  aforesaid, 
Planter,  for  and  in  consideration  of  the  love,  good  will, 
and  affection  which  I  have  and  do  bear  towards  the 
Methodists  of  this  place,  have  given,  granted  and  by  these 
presents  do  freely  give  and  grant  for  the  use  of  the 
Methodists  of  this  place,  one  hundred  yards  square,  where¬ 
on  the  new  Meeting  House  is  now  building,  in  Williams- 
burgh  District,  and  State  aforesaid,  butting  and  bound- 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


191 


ing  about  Southeast  on  land  belonging  to  the  Estate  of 
Duplessus  Michau,  about  Southwest  on  the  public  road 
and  on  all  other  sides  of  lands  of  my  own,  now  being  my 
right  and  property  in  district  aforesaid :  I  do  hereby  nomi¬ 
nate  and  appoint  my  friends  Samuel  Perdreau,  Dr.  Wil¬ 
liam  J.  Buford,  John  Perdreau,  and  Edward  Peter  Perret, 
trustees,  to  whom  I  leave  the  said  one  hundred  yards 
square  of  land  in  trust  for  the  use  of  the  said  Methodist 
Society  of  this  place;  and,  in  case  of  the  death  of  one 
of  the  Trustees,  the  others  are  hereby  authorized  to  ap¬ 
point  another  in  his  room;  and,  in  case  the  house  wants 
repair,  they  may  have  timber  off  my  adjoining  land  to  re¬ 
pair  said  house  as  long  as  the  property  remains  mine  or 
the  right  of  my  heirs.  July  5,  1825.”  Signed  by  Robert 
Sutton.  Witnessed  by  Samuel  Guild,  Sarah  Tamplet,  and 
Mary  C.  Michau. 

In  1800,  the  religious  camp  meeting  fever  began  in 
Kentucky.  It  reached  Kingstree  in  1803,  when  one  was 
held  at  the  Sandhills  about  three  miles  west  of  Kingstree. 
Dr.  Stephenson  had  been  preaching  to  the  Bethel  Con¬ 
gregation  in  Kingstree  for  thirteen  years  and  had  great 
influence  over  its  people.  He  was  assisted  by  Dr.  John 
Brown,  of  the  Waxhaw  Church,  who  had  just  finished  a 
wonderful  camp  meeting  at  Waxhaw;  Reverend  Duncan 
Brown  of  Hopewell;  and  the  Reverend  C.  G.  McWhorter 
of  Salem.  Crowds  flocked  to  this  camp  meeting.  They 
came  in  wagons  loaded  with  provisions  and  fitted  up  for 
temporary  lodging.  Dr.  Stephenson  opened  the  meeting 
with  a  sermon  in  explanation  and  defense  of  the  revival. 
At  these  revivals,  excitement  became  intense  and  was  at¬ 
tended  in  many  cases  with  remarkable  bodily  contortions 
as  well  as  trance  conditions.  These  pulpit  orators 
preached  the  “Day  of  Wrath”  with  such  fearful  eloquence 
that  frequently  strong  men  and  women  lost  control  of 
themselves  and  did  all  manner  of  things  under  the  hypno¬ 
tic  spell. 


192 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Dr.  Malcolmson  was  then  pastor  of  the  old  Williams¬ 
burg  Church.  It  will  be  remembered  that  the  Williams¬ 
burg  Congregation  and  the  Bethel  Congregation,  the  two 
factions  of  the  old  Williamsburg  Congregation,  were  at 
that  time  exceedingly  hostile  toward  each  other.  Dr. 
Malcolmson  disapproved  these  revivals  and  did  not  conceal 
his  contempt  for  so  much  religious  frenzy. 

Dr.  Stephenson’s  camp  meeting  was  a  great  success  from 
the  attendance  standpoint  as  well  as  for  the  intensity  of 
emotion  shown  by  the  people  attending.  Similar  camp 
meetings  were  held  in  many  parts  of  South  Carolina  and 
by  the  Methodist  denomination  as  well  as  the  Presby^ 
terian  for  many  years.  One  of  these  camp  meetings  held 
in  the  summer  of  1806  at  Remberts  was  attended  bv  Wil- 
liam  Capers,  afterwards  a  Bishop  in  the  Methodist  Church. 
The  following  description  which  he  gives  applies  to  prac¬ 
tically  all  of  them  held  in  this  section  at  that  time. 

“The  number  of  people  occupying  tents  was  much 
greater  than  it  had  been  at  the  two  previous  meetings  of 
the  same  kind  in  1802  and  1803,  in  that  neighborhood, 
both  of  which  I  had  attended  with  my  uncle’s  family, 
and  at  which  wagons  and  awmings  made  of  coverlets  and 
blankets  were  mostly  relied  on  in  place  of  tents.  The 
tents  too  (of  this  meeting  in  1806),  though  much  smaller 
and  less  commodious  than  in  later  years,  were  larger 
and  better  than  at  the  former  meetings.  But,  still,  at  the 
tents  as  well  as  at  the  wagons  of  the  camp,  there  was 
very  little  cooking  done,  but  every  one  fed  on  cold  pro¬ 
visions,  or  at  least  cold  meats.  Compared  to  those  first 
two  camp  meetings,  this  one  differed  also  in  the  more  im¬ 
portant  respects  of  management  and  the  phases  of  the 
work  of  God.  At  the  first  one  (1802),  particularly  (which 
was  held  on  McGirt’s  Branch,  below  the  point  where  the 
Statesburg  and  Darlington  road  crosses  it),  I  recollected 
little  that  looked  like  management.  There  were  two  stands 
for  preaching,  at  a  distance  of  about  two  hundred  yards 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


193 


apart;  and  sometimes  there  was  preaching  at  one,  some¬ 
times  at  the  other,  and  sometimes  at  both  simultaneously. 
This  was  evidently  a  bad  arrangement,  for  I  remember 
seeing  the  people  running  hastily  from  one  place  to  the 
other  as  some  sudden  gush  of  feeling  vented  itself  aloud, 
and  perhaps  with  strange  bodily  exercises,  called  their 
attention  off.  As  to  the  times  of  preaching,  I  think  there 
were  not  any  stated  hours,  but  it  was  left  to  circum¬ 
stances  ;  sometimes  oftener,  sometimes  more  seldom.  The 
whole  camp  was  called  up  by  blowing  a  horn  at  the  break 
of  day;  before  sunrise  it  was  blown  again,  and  I  doubt 
if  after  that  there  were  any  regular  hours  for  the  services 
of  the  meeting.  But  what  was  most  remarkable  both  at 
this  camp  meeting  and  the  following  one,  a  year  after¬ 
ward  (1803),  as  distinguishing  them  from  the  present 
meeting  of  1806,  and  much  more  from  later  camp  meetings, 
was  the  strange  and  unaccountable  bodily  exercises  which 
prevailed  there.  In  some  instances,  persons  who  were 
not  before  known  to  be  at  all  religious,  or  under  any 
particular  concern  about  it,  would  suddenly  fall  to  the 
ground  and  become  strangely  convulsed  with  what  was 
called  the  jerks;  the  head  and  neck,  and  sometimes  the 
body  also,  moving  backward  and  forward  with  spasmodic 
violence,  and  so  rapidly  that  the  plaited  hair  of  a  woman’s 
head  might  be  heard  to  crack.  This  exercise  was  not 
peculiar  to  feeble  persons,  nor  to  either  sex,  but,  on  the 
contrary,  was  most  frequent  to  the  strong  and  athletic, 
whether  men  or  women.  I  never  knew  it  among  children, 
nor  very  old  persons.  In  other  cases,  persons  falling  down 
would  appear  senseless,  and  almost  lifeless,  for  hours  to¬ 
gether  ;  lying  motionless  at  full  length  on  the  ground,  and 
almost  as  pale  as  corpses.  And  then  there  was  the  jump¬ 
ing  exercise,  which  sometimes  approximated  dancing,  in 
which  several  persons  might  be  standing  perfectly  erect, 
and  spring  upward  without  seeming  to  bend  a  joint  of 
their  bodies.  Such  exercises  were  scarcely,  if  at  all,  pres- 


194 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


ent  among  the  same  people  at  the  camp  meeting  of  1806, 
and  yet  this  camp  meeting  was  not  less  remarkable 
than  the  former  ones,  and  very  much  more  so  than  any 
I  have  attended  in  later  years,  for  the  suddenness  with 
which  sinners  of  every  description  were  awakened,  and 
the  overwhelming  force  of  their  convictions,  bearing  them 
instantly  down  to  their  knees,  if  not  to  the  ground,  cry¬ 
ing  for  mercy.  At  this  meeting  I  became  clearly  con¬ 
vinced  that  there  was  an  actual,  veritable  power  of  God’s 
grace  in  persons  then  before  me,  and  who  were  known 
to  me,  by  which  they  were  brought  to  repentance  and 
a  new  life;  and  that  with  respect  to  the  latter  (a  state 
of  regeneration  and  grace),  the  evidence  of  their  possess¬ 
ing  it  was  as  full  and  satisfactory  as  it  was  that  they  had 
been  brought  to  feel  the  guilt  and  condemnation  of  their 
sins.  I  did  not  fall  at  any  time,  as  I  saw  others  do,  but 
with  the  conviction  clear  to  my  apprehension  as  to  what 
was  the  true  character  of  the  work  before  me,  that  it 
was  of  God,  while  I  feared  greatly,  I  could  not  but  de¬ 
sire  that  I  might  become  a  partaker  of  the  benefit.  Still 
I  kept  myself  aloof,  I  knew  not  why.” 

About  1820,  Isaac  Carraway,  wheelwright  and  carpen¬ 
ter,  and  a  handful  of  Free  Will  Baptists,  Noah  Floyd, 
Jesse  Floyd,  Sam  McKenzie,  John  James  Matthews, 
Jesse  Osborn,  William  Brown,  Muldrow  Kennedy,  John 
Hutson,  Joe  Hutson,  and  Coker  Flowers,  built  Pine 
Grove  Church  in  the  northwestern  corner  of  Williams¬ 
burg  and  this  congregation  and  their  descendants  have 
worshipped  there  until  this  day.  The  Reverend  Sam 
McKenzie  was  its  first  regular  minister.  When  this  Pine 
Grove  Church  was  erected,  there  were  no  sawmills  in 
that  section.  In  fact,  most  primitive  conditions  obtained. 
The  church  was  built  of  pine  logs  drawn  to  the  spot  by 
means  of  ox-carts.  The  tires  on  these  old  ox-carts  were 
made  of  white  oak  slats  affixed  to  the  rims  with  handmade 
blacksmith  shop  nails.  The  spirit  which  has  kept  alive  the 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


195 


worship  of  this  congregation  for  more  than  a  century 
most  forcefully  appeals  to  one  who  knows  it.  The  minis¬ 
ters  who  have  preached  in  this  church  have  received  but 
little  monetary  reward,  yet  the  sacred  fires  have  been  kept 
continuously  burning. 

There  were  a  very  few  of  the  missionary  Baptist  faith 
in  Williamsburg  until  1770,  and  these  were  nearly  all 
of  the  blood  of  William  Screven  and  lived  in  the  vicinity 
of  Black  Mingo.  Until  this  time,  they  had  no  house  of 
worship  in  the  district.  From  the  building  of  the  Black 
Mingo  Congregational  Church  in  1726,  visiting  ministers 
of  that  denomination  had  frequently  preached  in  that 
church  and  some  people  in  the  section  had  always  held 
to  the  belief  that  immersion  was  the  only  scriptural  mode 
of  baptism.  Among  the  Baptist  preachers  from  time  to 
time  holding  services  in  that  community  up  to  1830,  were 
the  Reverend  Elisha  Screven,  Reverend  Phillip  James, 
Reverend  John  Brown,  Reverend  Joshua  Edwards,  Rev¬ 
erend  Robert  Williams,  Reverend  Nicholas  Bedgegood, 
Reverend  Elhannan  Winchester,  Reverend  Joseph  Reese, 
Reverend  Oliver  Hart,  Reverend  John  Botsford,  Rever¬ 
end  John  Gano,  Reverend  Jeremiah  Dargan,  and  the  Rev¬ 
erend  Richard  Furman. 

About  1810,  there  came  to  Black  Mingo  from  George¬ 
town  a  boy,  by  name,  Cleland  Belin.  His  mother  had 
died  and  his  father  had  married  again.  Cleland  did  not 
consider  his  stepmother’s  treatment  worthy  to  hold  him 
at  his  father’s  house,  so  he  ran  away  and  lived  thence¬ 
forth  at  Willtown  in  the  home  of  his  uncle,  John  Screven. 
Cleland  Belin  became  a  Baptist,  and  for  more  than  fifty 
years,  the  Baptist  denomination  at  Black  Mingo  centered 
in  him.  About  1820,  the  Baptists  built  a  small  meeting 
house  near  Willtown;  and  for  many  years  the  little  con¬ 
gregation  worshipped  in  this  building  and  baptized  their 
candidates  for  admission  in  Black  Mingo. 


196 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


About  1820,  John  R.  Easterling  came  from  Charleston 
to  Williamsburg  and  purchased  a  mill  site  from  R.  G. 
Ferrell  on  Poplar  Hill  Swamp,  where  he  established  a 
grist  and  a  saw  mill.  Mr.  Easterling  was  a  man  of  in¬ 
telligence  and  piety  and  as  soon  as  he  had  made  his 
family  comfortable,  began  a  movement  for  the  building 
of  a  church.  Men  of  all  denominations  in  that  community, 
whether  members  of  a  church  or  not,  assisted  him.  The 
building  committee  was  composed  of  John  R.  Easterling, 
William  Belin,  and  Reverend  Jeremiah  Russell.  It  was 
the  plan  of  these  people  to  erect  a  community  church 
where  all  denominations  might  worship  and  that  any  de¬ 
nomination  might  use  the  building  when  not  in  service 
for  another.  The  rule  “first  come,  first  served”  was 
adopted  and  held  for  many  years. 

This  building  committee  applied  to  Colonel  David  D. 
Wilson,  who  owned  the  land  in  that  vicinity,  and  who 
presented  them  with  the  lot  on  which  the  Union  Church 
was  first  built  and  gave  them  a  liberal  money  subscrip¬ 
tion.  Colonel  Wilson  was  an  elder  in  the  Indiantown 
Church  and  a  militant  Presbyterian  as  well  as  a  man 
of  exceptional  force  and  personality.  Benjamin  Britton 
subscribed  liberally  and  aided  in  many  ways.  He  was  a 
Methodist,  one  of  the  first  Methodists  of  wealth  and  in¬ 
fluence  in  Williamsburg.  Captain  John  Dozier  gave  of 
his  means  and  assisted  the  building  of  the  church  in 
many  ways..  He  was  an  enthusiastic  member  of  the  Pro¬ 
testant  Episcopal  Church.  Cleland  Belin,  the  Arch-Bap¬ 
tist  of  his  day,  a  man  of  remarkable  natural  ability  and 
of  much  wealth,  made  contributions.  Among  the  others 
assisting  were  Captain  John  Graham,  Henry  Smith,  Mat¬ 
thew  Bellune,  Thomas  McConnell,  Richard  Cribb,  and  the 
Coachmans,  Russells,  and  Greenes. 

Of  the  contributors  to  the  building  of  this  Union  Church, 
the  Episcopalians  were  the  most  numerous,  but  all  four 
of  the  denominations  were  well  represented  on  the  sub- 


PRESBYTERIANISM  REGNANT 


197 


scription  list.  This  Union  Church  was  used  in  common 
by  these  four  denominations  for  many  years.  Later  it 
became  a  Methodist  Church.  All  records  and  tradition 
concerning  this  period  indicate  that  this  church  played 
a  beautiful  part  in  the  community  and  that  all  denomina¬ 
tions  worked  in  it  for  the  glory  of  God  and  the  good  of 
the  people. 

In  1830,  there  were,  in  Williamsburg  District,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  living  churches :  The  Williamsburg  Presbyterian 
Church,  the  Indiantown  Presbyterian  Church,  the  Will- 
town  Baptist  Church,  the  Ebenezer  Methodist  Church  on 
Mill  Branch,  Suttons  Methodist  Church,  and  the  Pine 
Grove  Free  Will  Baptist  Church.  The  Williamsburg 
Presbyterian  Congregation  and  the  Indiantown  Presby¬ 
terian  Congregation  included  and  controlled  fully  ninety- 
five  per  centum  of  the  population  of  the  district.  The 
other  four  churches  had  very  few  members  and  but  nomi¬ 
nal  influence.  The  Presbyterian  Congregations  outside 
of  Williamsburg  and  within  the  surrounding  country  were 
composed  largely  of  people  who  had  been  connected  with 
the  Williamsburg  and  the  Indiantown  Churches,  were 
of  like  religious  principles,  and  loyally  supplemented  these 
two  Williamsburg  Churches  in  all  of  their  undertakings. 

The  Presbyterian  denomination  felt  that  this  County 
was  its  very  own  and  its  communicants  labored  with  a 
crusader’s  zeal  to  make  its  conquests  complete  and  to  con¬ 
trol  the  territory  forever.  The  Methodist  Churches  in 
the  district  were  small.  Very  few  people  regarded  the 
Methodists  or  the  Baptists  seriously,  and  still  fewer  ad¬ 
mitted  membership  in  their  societies,  as  the  churches  were 
called. 

In  1828,  the  Reverend  John  M.  Ervin  began  his  pas¬ 
torate  at  the  Williamsburg  Church  and  the  Indiantown 
Church.  He  divided  his  time  between  them.  Mr.  Ervin 
was  born  in  Mecklenburg  County,  North  Carolina,  in 
1769.  His  parents  were  Presbyterians  of  the  “straitest 


198 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


sect.”  Indeed,  it  is  traditional  that  the  Ervin  family  has 
produced  Presbyterian  elders  and  ministers  in  every  gen¬ 
eration,  since  the  memory  of  man  runneth  not  to  the  con¬ 
trary. 

Mr.  Ervin  was  a  strong  man.  He  believed  that  the  one 
way  to  God  was  through  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and 
the  errors  which  he  made  were  due  most  largely  to  this 
delusion.  He  practiced  and  promoted  the  belief  that  the 
Presbyterian  Church  should  determine  the  temporal  as 
well  as  the  spiritual  affairs  of  the  district.  When  he  came 
to  Williamsburg  and  Indiantown,  he  found  these  Presby¬ 
terian  Churches  conditioned  for  dominating.  He  sur¬ 
veyed  the  field  and  made  well  his  plans.  With  such  a  pre¬ 
ponderance  of  Presbyterians  in  the  district,  he  thought 
it  needless  to  use  tact  or  discretion,  but  sought  to  make 
the  session  of  elders  in  his  two  churches  the  supreme 
arbiters  of  their  respective  communities.  Mr.  Ervin  had 
then  a  remarkable  session  of  elders  in  each  of  his  two 
churches.  The  elders  of  the  Williamsburg  Church  were 
Daniel  Frierson,  Henry  D.  Shaw,  Isaac  Nelson,  John 
McClary,  and  James  E.  Fulton.  The  elders  of  the  Indian¬ 
town  Church  were  George  Barr,  George  McCutchen,  David 
D.  Wilson,  and  Samuel  J.  Wilson.  It  is  believed  that  no 
two  stronger  committees  of  men  in  any  capacity,  reli¬ 
gious  or  secular,  ever  labored  in  this  district. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 


WILLIAMSBURG  TAXPAYERS,  1811. 

There  is  copied  on  the  fly  leaves  of  Book  B,  Williams¬ 
burg  District  Registry,  in  the  office  of  the  Clerk  of  Court 
of  Common  Pleas,  a  list  of  the  taxpayers  in  the  district 
in  1811,  with  the  amount  levied  on  each  individual.  The 
taxes  assessed  at  that  time  on  the  property  in  this  dis- 
trict  probably  indicates  more  nearly  the  relative  wealth 
of  the  men  of  the  district  than  the  tax  list  of  1923  would 
show  the  wealth  of  the  several  men  of  Williamsburg  at 
such  time. 

Theodore  Gourdin  paid  that  year  $158.10  in  taxes; 
Francis  Cordes,  $56.89;  James  Burgess,  $35.52;  Stephen 
Miller,  Jr.,  $27.22;  Moses  Glover,  $24.99;  William  McDon¬ 
ald,  $24.49.  The  man  who  paid  next  in  amount  was 
Isaac  Matthews,  $19.77.  There  were  only  fifty-three  in 
the  district  then  whose  taxes  were  more  than  $10.00 
a  year.  These  fifty-three  were  wealthy.  A  man  who  paid 
$5.00  to  support  the  government  in  1811  had  little  trouble 
in  keeping  the  wolf  from  the  door. 

Here  follows  a  list  of  all  the  taxpayers  and  amounts 
levied  in  Williamsburg  Djistrict  in  1811:  John  Arnett, 
$2.94;  Joseph  Adams,  $1.05;  James  Atkinson,  $0.06; 
Stephen  Atkinson,  $0.24;  Benjamin  Ard,  $0.03;  James 
Ard,  $0.03;  Barnard  Ard,  $0.02;  Thomas  Ayers,  $0.17; 
John  Benton,  $0.15%;  Solomon  Budden,  $0.35;  John 
Blakely,  Jr.,  $3.60;  Moses  Benton,  $0.60;  William  Ben¬ 
ton,  $0.09;  John  Brockinton,  $2.95;  John  Boyd,  (Estate) 
$0.49;  Henry  H.  Bostwick,  $2.60;  John  Barr,  $5.03%; 
Daniel  Brown,  $2.10;  Sarah  Brown,  $0.35;  William 
Brown,  $0.46;  James  Brown,  $9.60;  Robert  Brown,  $0.98; 
Maurice  Braveboy,  $2.93;  James  Bradley,  $16.30;  James 
Barr,  $3.25;  William  Brockinton  (minor),  $1.55;  John 
Brockinton  (Estate),  $0.45;  Joseph  Benton,  $0.05;  James 


200 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Bailey,  $0.06;  George  Burrows,  $11.70;  John  Burrows, 
$4.78;  William  Burrows,  $4.69;  Thomas  Burrows,  $5.51; 
Levi  Barrineau,  $0.19;  Asa  Bradshaw,  $0.06%;  Man¬ 
uel  Barrineau,  $0.35;  Benjamin  Britton,  $11.00;  Silas 
Bradshaw,  $0.22 ;  Samuel  Bradshaw,  $0.02 ;  James 
Burgess,  $35.52;  Jonathan  Bostwick,  $4.64;  Benjamin 
Bradham,  $0.03;  John  Broome,  $3.59;  Robert  Benton, 
$1.35;  Risdon  Barrineau,  $0.35;  Mary  Bradshaw,  $0.03; 
Margaret  Barrineau,  $0.07% ;  Abner  Brown,  $0.91 ; 
Benjamin  Blanchard  (Estate),  $1.75;  Thomas  Browder, 
$0.03;  Arthur  Barrineau,  $2.99;  Hugh  Boyd,  $2.25; 
Isaac  Barrineau,  $4.61;  John  Blakely,  $7.20;  James 
Ballentine,  $2.78;  Jesse  Blount,  $0.09;  Martha  Brock- 
inton,  $3.85;  Joshua  Baxley,  $0.12;  Timothy  Britton, 
$1.78;  Francis  Britton,  $3.66%;  Aaron  Bradley,  $1.35; 
John  Barker,  $0.06;  Thomas  Blackwell  (Estate),  $11.33; 
Michael  Blackwell,  $9.72;  Thomas  M.  Brown,  $2.35; 
John  Cooper,  $7.69;  John  Coward,  $0.19;  William  Cam- 
lin,  $0.56;  James  Campbell,  $10.49;  James  Calhoun 
(Estate),  $3.25;  Washington  Cockfield,  $0.70;  George 
Carter,  $0.15;  Sarah  Clark,  $0.35;  George  Chandler, 
$2.96;  Mary  Cunningham,  $0.38;  Bryant  Cameron,  $0.03; 
John  Cetty,  $2.90;  Joseph  Cockfield  (minor),  $1.14; 
John  Connor  (minor),  $3.77;  Ann  Cockfield,  $1.87; 
Margaret  Cockfield,  $0.78;  Ann  Cockfield,  Jr.,  $0.76; 
William  Cockfield,  $1.14;  Robert  Cade,  $3.74;  Patrick 
Cormick,  $3.25;  William  Cooper  (Estate),  $18.76;  Sam¬ 
uel  Coleman,  $0.05;  Jacob  Coleman,  $0.37;  Thomas  Con- 
nel,  $3.31;  John  Collum,  $0.20;  William  Carter,  $0.02; 
George  Cooper,  $6.38;  Rebecca  Campbell,  $4.20;  Francis 
Cordes,  $56.89;  Joseph  Clark,  $0.09;  Abram  Connor, 
$0.08;  James  Cooper  (Estate),  $6.72;  Arthur  Cunning¬ 
ham,  $9.67%;  James  Cunningham  (Estate),  $5.72;  John 
Dick,  $4.87;  George  Durant,  $4.98;  William  Dick,  $9.16; 
Thomas  DuPre,  $7.39;  Margaret  DuPre  (Estate),  $9.70; 
John  Dickson,  $0.83;  William  Daniel,  $0.35;  James 


WILLIAMSBURG  TAXPAYERS,  1811  201 

Daniel,  $0.25;  Martha  Daniel,  $0.35;  Benjamin  Dnrant 
(Estate),  $1.47;  William  Douglass,  $3.14;  Martha 
Downing,  $0.02;  Samuel  Douglass,  $2.04;  Ben  Duke, 
(Estate),  $2.10;  James  Dickey  (Estate),  $2.21;  Thomas 
Drake,  $2.80;  Samuel  E.  Dickey,  $0.79;  William  Dobein, 
$18.51;  John  Dickey  (Estate),  $1.40;  William  Dollard, 
$8.05;  James  Eaddy,  $0.85;  Robert  Ervin  (Estate), 
$12.10;  Daniel  Epps,  $7.69;  Barbara  Early,  $2.19;  James 
Eaddy,  Jr.,  $0.20;  Samuel  Eaddy,  Jr.,  $0.35;  Jenny  Eaddy, 
$0.70;  James  Fleming,  $5.53;  James  Fleming  (Estate), 
$6.21;  John  Fullwood  (Estate),  $0.81;  William  Flagler, 
$2.39;  John  Fleming,  $5.53;  James  Fleming  (Estate), 
$0.18;  Robert  Frierson,  Jr.,  $10.46;  Robert  Frierson, 
$3.49;  John  Frierson,  $5.60;  William  Frierson,  $9.65; 
Joanna  Jaudon,  $3.65;  William  Felps,  $0.03;  John  Ful¬ 
ton,  $16.35%;  Samuel  E.  Fulton,  $4.30%;  Mary  Ferrel, 
$0.11%;  Harmon  Flower,  $0.12%;  John  Fleming,  $0.03; 
James  Folly,  $0.12;  Mary  Folly  (Estate),  $0.05;  Samuel 
Fluitt,  $7.84;  Theodore  Gourdin,  $158.10;  John  Gotea, 
Jr.,  $2.15;  Roger  Gordon,  $9.76;  Elizabeth  Gordon,  $3.75; 
John  Gordon,  $0.58;  Robert  Greene,  $1.26;  John  Goode, 
$0.30;  James  Gamble,  $9.23;  Gillespie  Scott,  $2.65;  Wil¬ 
liam  Gamble,  $5.04;  Moses  Glover,  $24.99;  James  Gib¬ 
son,  $0.73;  Ebenezer  Gibson,  $2.76;  James  Gowdy 
(Estate),  $0.03;  Daniel  Gillespie,  $0.09;  William  Graham, 
$0.33;  Nelson  Graham  (Estate),  $0.42;  William  Graham, 
Jr.,  $0.75;  William  Graham,  $3.65;  Ebenezer  Gibson 
(Estate),  $0.24;  William  Graham,  $0.31;  John  Graham, 
$0.81;  John  Graham,  $5.34%;  John  Gotea,  Jr.,  $1.87; 
John  Gibson  (Estate),  $6.72;  John  Gamble,  $4.40; 
Lewis  Glenn,  $0.04;  Dr.  John  Graham,  $16.70;  John 
Glenn,  $0.05;  George  Gamble,  $3.50;  Samuel  Gordon, 
$4.20;  James  Graham,  $17.46;  David  Gordon  (Estate), 
$11.43;  John  Hickson,  $0.76;  Hugh  Hanna,  $6.13;  Wil¬ 
liam  Hanna,  Jr.,  $0.24;  James  Hanna,  $0.13;  Samuel 
Hazeldon,  $1.33;  Thomas  Hazeldon,  $0.02;  Samuel  Haw- 


202 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


thorn,  $0.14;  John  Haseldon,  $1.05;  George  Hawthorn, 
$1.51;  John  Hawkins,  $0.11;  John  Howard,  $1.84; 
Eliphalet  H.  Hewitt,  $3.02;  William  R.  Howard,  $1.05; 
Margaret  Hamilton,  $5.06;  John  Hedelston,  $0.51;  Wil¬ 
liam  Hiddleston,  Jr.,  $3.03;  Gilles  Hemmington,  $0.18; 
Micajah  Hicks,  $0.03)  ;  Elisha  Hicks,  $0.03;  Jesse  Hicks, 
$0.36;  John  Hamilton,  $0.79;  James  Hepburn  (Estate), 
$3.36;  Jonathan  Helms,  $0.03;  John  James,  $10.92;  Sam¬ 
uel  W.  James,  $2.45;  Mary  J.  Johnston  (Estate),  $5.39; 
William  Johnston,  $5.68;  Mary  Johnston,  $0.09;  Jacob 
Johnston,  $0.10;  Sarah  Jordan,  $0.03;  Archibald  Jolly 
(Estate),  $1.66;  William  Johnston,  Sr.,  $2.26;  William 
James,  $5.97 ;  Gavin  James,  $2.75;  Jane  James  (Estate), 
$3.20;  James  Johnston,  $0.56;  Samuel  Jones,  $0.36;  Wil¬ 
liam  Jones  (Estate),  $14.50;  John  June,  $4.20;  Samuel 
Jenkins,  $1.16;  Edward  D.  Johnston,  $0.36;  Samuel 
James,  $6.30;  Samuel  Knox,  $1.19;  Isaac  Keels,  $12.76; 
Samuel  Keels,  $4.76;  John  Keels,  $7.42;  John  M.  Kinder, 
$3.11;  John  Kelty,  $0.06;  Archibald  Knox,  $0.03;  John 
Kennedy,  $0.03;  Timothy  Lee,  $0.05;  Elijah  Lee,  $0.03; 
Needham  Lee,  $4.00;  Sherrod  Lee,  $0.03;  James  Lever, 
$0.03;  Levi  Lamb,  $0.14;  John  Lane,  $3.50;  William 
Lifrage,  Jr.,  $0.02;  William  Levy,  $0.11;  William  Lester, 
$16.60;  Robert  Lowry,  $12.05;  David  McClarv,  $5.29; 
Samuel  McClary  (Estate),  $1.40;  William  McGill 
(Estate),  $1.75;  Thomas  Miles,  $0.10;  John  McAlister, 
$0,091/2;  Moses  Miller,  $7.72;  William  McConnell,  $1.45; 
Samuel  Miller,  $0.70;  Stephen  Miller,  Jr.,  $27.22;  Wil¬ 
liam  Manning,  $0.04;  James  Menely,  $0.22%;  Robert 
Morris,  $0.43;  James  McDonald,  $1.17;  Daniel  McGee, 
$0.21;  Alexander  McCants  (Estate),  $3.25;  Jeremiah 
Matthews,  $0.06;  William  McFaddin,  $7.00;  Alexander 
McKnight,  $11.68;  Samuel  McGill,  $1.84;  John  McGill, 
$4.05;  Thomas  McCrea,  Jr.,  $12.42;  George  McCutchen, 
$9.48;  John  Montgomery,  $3.78;  George  McConnell,  Sr., 
$3.75;  John  M.  Matthews,  $5.43;  Mary  McConnell,  $4.26; 


WILLIAMSBURG  TAXPAYERS,  1811  203 

Robert  McConnell,  $2.73;  Isaac  Montgomery,  $2.26;  John 
Matthews,  Sr.,  $0.09;  Henry  Monzon  (Estate),  $2.42; 
William  H.  Mouzon,  $3.21;  Elizabeth  McGill,  $2.19; 
Philip  McRea,  $1.30;  James  J.  McCullough,  $0.05;  Wil¬ 
liam  McDonald,  $24.49;  John  McLaughlin,  $0.70;  Thomas 
McCants,  $2.56;  Samuel  Malcolmson,  $0.25;  John  Mc- 
Clary,  $9.58;  James  McGill,  $8.86;  James  McCutchen, 
$4.07;  Elam  Mills,  Jr.,  $3.28;  Thomas  McCrea,  Sr., 
$13.87;  Joseph  McKee  (Estate),  $1.75;  David  McCave, 
$0.04;  James  McBride,  Sr.,  $12.85;  William  McElroy 
(Estate),  $1.79;  Abraham  Matthews  (Estate),  $9.72; 
John  Matthews,  Jr.,  $11.82;  John  Maxwell,  Jr.,  $0.50; 
David  Matthews,  $0.04;  Hugh  McCutchen,  $3.40;  Thomas 
McCutchen,  $0.35;  Robert  McCottry  (Estate),  $12.47; 
Mary  McCottry,  $0.07;  David  McCottry  (Estate), 
$0.04;  John  McCullough,  Jr.,  $0.49;  William  McCrea, 
$1.11;  Thomas  Miller,  $0.05;  Alexander  Miller,  $0.03; 
Solomon  McClam,  $0.96 ;  William  Matthews,  $0.07 ;  Wil¬ 
liam  McCutchen,  $0.10;  Richard  Matthews,  $0.12;  Jemina 
Mon,  $0.11;  Jonah  Matthews,  $0.11;  William  Matthews, 
$0.06;  Janet  Montgomery,  $14.13;  Archibald  Murphy, 
$5.03;  Henry  McXealey,  $0.48;  Bryant  McClam,  $0.25; 
Thomas  McConnell,  $0.75 ;  William  McCollough,  $1.57 ; 
James  McMurray,  $0.05;  Samuel  R.  Mouzon,  $7.95; 
Alexander  McCrea,  $10.42 ;  George  McConnell,  $1.30 ; 
James  McConnell,  Sr.,  $4.15;  James  McFaddin,  $13.20; 
Elizabeth  Matthews,  $7.00;  John  McMurray,  $0.82; 
Andrew  McElroy,  $0.03;  William  McCullough  (Estate), 
$5.38;  Nathaniel  McCullough,  $0.35;  Peter  Mouzon, 
$2.98;  John  McCullough,  $3. 90%;  Alexander  McCullough, 
$1.54;  Elizabeth  Morris,  $0.12;  John  Morris,  $0.03; 
Samuel  McCants,  $3.58;  William  Moore,  $2.81;  Paul 
Michau  (Estate),  $10.67;  Duplessus  Michau,  $3.08; 
Alexander  Michau,  $1.40;  James  Marshall,  $0.06;  Joseph 
Marler,  (Estate),  $0.94;  Isaac  Matthews,  $19.77%; 
Charles  McCallister,  $0.89% ;  William  McElveen 


204 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


(Estate),  $1.96;  James  McElveen,  $0.85;  Jacob  Norton, 
$0.49;  Elizabeth  Nesmith,  $0.70;  Robert  Nesmith, 
$0.16  2/3;  John  Nesmith;  $0.09;  Samuel  Nesmith,  Sr., 
$2.86;  William  Nelson,  $14.65;  Isaac  Nelson,  $10.05; 
Lemuel  Nesmith,  $2.50;  Robert  Nesmith,  Jr.,  $4.98;  Sam¬ 
uel  Odear  (Estate),  $3.65;  Aaron  Odom,  $0.14;  Zach- 
ariah  Owen,  $0.17;  Samuel  Perdreau,  $5.79;  John 
Perdreau,  $2.55;  John  Penny,  $1.05;  Andrew  Patter¬ 
son,  $7.94;  Jannet  Patterson,  $1.88;  Mary  Parsons,  $0.35; 
Sarah  Parsons,  $0.35;  Elizabeth  Parsons,  $0.35;  Solomon 
Parsons,  $1.47;  Robert  Patterson  (Estate),  $0.70; 
Andrew  L.  Patterson,  $1.14;  Thomas  Potts  (Estate), 
$0.45;  Rebecca  Potts,  $5.95;  Thomas  Potts,  $1.70;  Henry 
Price  (Estate),  $1.14;  Hugh  Paisley,  $9.94;  John 
Price,  $0.45;  Edward  R.  Plowden,  $1.92;  Isaac  Pitman, 
$1.05;  Francis  Perrett,  $3.36;  Ann  Perrett,  $1.43;  Peter 
E.  Perrett,  $4.35;  John  Pressley,  $3.52;  Hannah  Paisley, 
$7.07;  Nicholas  Punch,  $1.40;  William  Parsons  (Estate), 
$1.64;  Amos  Parsons  (Estate),  $0.05;  William  Parker, 
$0.12;  Ann  Robinson  (Estate),  $1.74;  William  Rogers, 
$0.18;  John  Rodgers,  Sr.,  $0.05;  Thomas  Rogers  (Estate), 
$3.69;  Rebecca  Rowell,  $1.40;  James  Riche,  $3.21; 
Isaac  Rogers,  $0.09;  Mary  Reid  (Estate),  $0.04;  Micajah 
Rogers,  $0.09;  John  Rogers,  Jr.,  $0.24;  William  Reid, 
$0.04;  Noah  Smith,  $0.24;  Robert  Strong,  $1.75; 
Philip  Stone,  $0.17;  John  Session,  $0.05;  Austin  Stone, 
$0.21;  Elizabeth  Swinton,  $12.60;  Thomas  Steel,  $2.89; 
Alexander  Scott,  Jr.,  $9.43;  Samuel  Scott,  $5.20;  Jennet 
Scott,  $2.45;  John  Scott,  Jr.,  $11.21;  Samuel  Strong, 
$2.36 ;  William  Staggers,  $4.40 ;  Robert  Sutton,  $13.17 ; 
William  Salters,  $3.06;  Thomas  D.  Singleton,  $5.28; 
Mary  Stretch,  $7.19;  John  Stephenson,  $0.64;  Martin 
Staggers,  $3.16;  Agnes  Singletary,  $0.35;  Ebenezer 
Singletary  (Estate),  $1.89;  Samuel  Singletary,  $0.53; 
Richard  Spring,  $0.16;  Abner  Smith,  $0.12;  Robert 
Spring,  $0.49 ;  Ann  Spring,  $0.04 ;  Samuel  Snowden, 


WILLIAMSBURG  TAXPAYERS,  1811 


205 


$2.21;  Joseph  Scott,  $5.03;  Alexander  Scott,  $5.98; 
Caleb  Stephens,  $0.09;  John  Scott,  Sr.,  $10.41;  John 
Staggers,  $0.75;  Henry  Smith,  $0.94;  Dottson  Stone, 
$0.14;  Edward  Sessions,  $0.37;  Richard  Sessions,  $1.47; 
John  D.  Singletary,  $0.35;  Ebenezer  Singletary,  $2.36; 
William  Turner,  $0.11;  Benjamin  Turner,  $0.43;  Hannah 
Thompson,  $3.50;  William  Thompson  (Estate),  $0.11; 
William  Thompson,  $0.34;  William  and  William  A. 
Thompson  (Estate),  $0.30;  James  Tisdale,  $15.35; 
Elizabeth  Thomas,  $0.03;  Levi  Timmons,  $0.15;  Alex^ 
ander  Thompson,  $0.58;  John  Tharp,  $1.14;  John  R.  D. 
Witherspoon,  $0.50;  Thomas  Williams,  Sr.,  $5.67; 
Robert  Wilson,  Jr.,  $9.47;  Robert  Wilson,  Sr.,  $7.12; 
Jane  Wilson  (Estate),  $7.26;  John  Wilson  (Estate), 
$10.19;  David  Wilson,  Jr.,  $6.73;  Samuel  Wilson,  Sr., 
$15.35;  William  Wilson,  $7.71;  Jane  Wilson,  $6.17; 
George  Wisner  (Estate),  $0.04;  James  Witherspoon 
(Estate),  $6.17;  Robert  Witherspoon,  $16.07;  Hugh 
Wilson,  $12.81;  James  Witherspoon,  $10.36;  Gavin 
Witherspoon,  $11.99;  Thomas  Witherspoon,  $8.25; 
Elizabeth  W.  Witherspoon,  $3.15;  Robert  B.  Wither¬ 
spoon,  $1.50;  Robert  P.  Witherspoon,  $7.13;  Samuel 
Witherspoon,  $0.03;  John  Williams  (Estate),  $2.08; 
Willis  Woods,  $0.19;  Sarah  Watson,  $4.55;  Andrew 
Watson,  $4.38;  Joseph  Witherspoon,  $7.30;  Robert  L. 
Witherspoon,  $9.49;  John  Wilson,  Jr.,  $0.70;  David 
Wilson,  Sr.,  $9.88;  James  Ward,  $1.51;  Jacob  Walters, 
$0.12;  James  Zuill  (Estate),  $7.68;  Michael  Blackwell, 
$0.28%;  James  Burgess,  $0.17 ;  William  Cooper  (Estate), 
$2.42;  John  Dozier,  $1.43;  John  Dozier,  $0.15;  Samuel 
Douglass,  $0.03;  Leonard  Dozier  (Estate),  $0.09;  Samuel 
Fluitt,  $1.50;  William  Flagler,  $0.30;  Ebenezer  Gibson, 
$0.38;  Moses  Glover  (Estates),  $0.12;  Moses  Glover 
(Estates),  $0.08;  Hugh  Giles  (Estate),  $7.26;  William 
Hiddleston,  Sr.,  $0.03;  Thomas  Lane,  $0.22;  John  Me- 


206 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Callister,  $0.08;  William  Nelson,  $0.11;  Isaac  Nelson, 
$0.18;  William  Reid  (Estate),  $0.38;  John  Steel,  $0.03; 
Samuel  Wilson,  Sr.,  $4.83 ;  Andrew  Watson,  $0.15. 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


ROADS  AND  FERRIES  FROM  1788  UNTIL  1830. 

The  road  from  the  Lower  Bridge  on  Black  River  to 
Lenud’s  Ferry  on  the  Santee  was  made  a  public  highway 
in  1788.  Captain  William  Frierson,  Gavin  Witherspoon, 
Esq.,  Peter  Lequeux,  and  Abraham  Per  ret  were  appointed 
commissioners  to  lay  out  this  highway. 

Murray’s  Ferry  over  the  Santee  was  held  by  Joseph 
Murray  and  his  son,  James  Murray,  until  1786,  when  it 
became  vested  in  the  heirs  of  Adam  McDonald  for  a  term 
of  fourteen  years.  In  1789,  Samuel  Matthews,  Needham 
Lee,  Henry  Mouzon,  John  Robinson,  and  Dr.  John 
Graham  were  appointed  to  make  and  keep  in  repair  the 
road  from  Lynch’s  Creek  to  Murray’s  Ferry  already  es¬ 
tablished.  In  1792,  a  ferry  was  established  on  Black 
Mingo  Creek  at  the  plantation  of  James  Baxter,  and  he 
was  authorized  to  receive  fees  for  ferriage  for  a  term 
of  fourteen  years. 

In  1795,  the  road  from  Effingham  Saw  Mills  to  the 
King’s  Tree  Meeting  House  on  Black  River  was  made  a 
public  highway.  Captain  John  Fulton,  Hugh  Reed, 
Needham  Lee  were  appointed  commissioners  and  em¬ 
powered  to  call  out  all  the  male  inhabitants  who  resided 
within  six  miles  of  the  said  road  but  for  no  longer  term 
than  twelve  days  in  the  year.  In  1795,  the  road  from 
Lenud’s  Ferry  on  the  Santee  River  to  Potato  Ferry  on 
Black  River  was  established.  Edward  Thomas,  Thomas 
Boone,  and  Theodore  Gourdin  were  appointed  commis¬ 
sioners  and  were  empowered  to  keep  the  same  road  in 
good  order  and  repair  by  the  labor  of  all  male  inhabitants 
from  the  age  of  sixteen  to  fifty  years,  and  with  all  the 
male  slaves  from  the  age  of  sixteen  to  fifty  years  residing 
within  ten  miles  of  the  road. 


208 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


In  1796,  Murray’s  Ferry  and  Skrine’s  Ferry  were  vested 
in  Theodore  Gourdin,  Esq.,  for  a  term  of  fourteen  years. 
In  1798,  Samuel  Jenkins,  Zachariah  Owens,  and  Shad- 
rack  Simons  were  appointed  commissioners  for  keeping 
in  repair  the  road  leading  from  Black  Mingo  to  Britton’s 
Ferry  on  the  Pee  Dee.  In  1798,  Peter  Mouzon,  Sr.,  James 
Burgess,  Robert  Frierson,  and  Henry  Mouzon,  Sr.,  were 
appointed  commissioners  on  the  north  side  of  Black  River, 
and  James  Campbell,  William  Buford,  and  Isaac  Keels 
were  appointed  commissioners  on  the  south  side  of  Black 
River,  to  clean  and  keep  in  repair  the  present  road  lead¬ 
ing  down  the  south  side  of  Lynch’s  Creek  to  Pudding 
Swamp  on  Black  River,  and  to  continue  the  same  to 
Mouzon’s  landing  on  Black  River,  thence  over  Mouzon’s 
Bridge,  the  most  direct  course  toward  Santee  so  as  to 
fall  into  the  road  leading  from  Benbow’s  Ferry  on  Black 
River  to  Murray’s  Ferry  on  the  Santee. 

In  1799,  James  Blackmon,  Josias  Dupre,  and  John 
McClary  were  appointed  commissioners  to  re-establish  a 
road  leading  from  Kingstree  to  Cooper’s  Ferry  on  the 
north  side  of  Black  River.  In  1799,  a  public  road  was 
laid  out  from  Brewington  Lake  on  the  south  branch  of 
Black  River  to  Gamble’s  muster  field  on  McGirt’s  Swamp 
and  thence  to  Murray’s  Ferry  on  the  Santee.  William 
Taylor,  John  Conyers,  James  Campbell,  William  Nelson, 
Isaac  Keels,  and  Theodore  Gourdin  were  appointed  com¬ 
missioners  for  the  said  road.  Allison’s  Ferry  was  vested 
in  John  Allison  in  1798. 

The  commissioners  then  composing  the  several  boards 
in  the  District  of  Williamsburg  were  convened  at  the 
house  of  Samuel  Snowden  on  the  first  Monday  in  April, 
1801,  to  proceed  further  with  the  discharge  of  their  duties. 
Witherspoon’s  Ferry  on  Lynch’s  Creek  was  vested  in  John 
Witherspoon  in  1801.  A  ferry  on  Black  River  at  the 
landing,  or  the  ferry  commonly  known  by  the  name  of 
North’s  Ferry,  was  established  in  1803.  That  on  the 


ROADS  AND  FERRIES,  1788  UNTIL  1830  209 


northeast  side  of  the  river  was  vested  in  Martha  Brock- 
inton  and  the  southeast  side  of  the  river  in  James  Cooper 
for  a  term  of  fourteen  years.  A  toll  bridge  across  Black 
River  known  as  Mouzon’s  Bridge  was  vested  in  Henry 
Mouzon  for  a  term  of  seven  years  from  1805.  He  was 
allowed  to  charge  500  for  every  man  and  horse;  6*40  for 
every  horse  and  chair  or  cart  and  horse;  37*40  for  every 
hogshead  of  tobacco ;  12%0  for  every  head  of  cattle,  sheep, 
goats,  or  hogs;  and  20  for  every  led  horse  or  foot  passen¬ 
ger. 

In  1806,  the  commissioners  of  the  roads  for  Winyaw 
and  Williamsburg  were  ordered  to  lay  out  and  cause  to 
be  cleared  a  road  from  the  road  from  the  Williams¬ 
burg  Court  House  to  Potato  Ferry  across  the 
parish  line  to  William  Rowell’s  plantation  and  from 
thence  to  Gapway  road.  That  same  way  or  ferry  was 
established  across  Black  River  where  the  road  crossed 
it  and  the  ferry  vested  in  William  Rowell  for  a  term  of 
fourteen  years.  Samuel  Commander  and  William  Rowell 
were  the  commissioners  for  this  road. 

In  1803,  Ezekial  Pickens,  Theodore  Gourdin,  and  J.  B. 
Richardson  were  appointed  a  committee  to  revise  the 
general  road  laws  in  the  State  and  to  report  at  the  next 
session  what  amendments  in  the  road  laws  were  neces¬ 
sary. 

In  1809,  Captain  William  Graham,  Needham  Lee,  and 
Robert  Cade,  in  the  District  of  Williamsburg,  were  ap¬ 
pointed  commissioners  to  erect  a  bridge  over  Lynch’s 
Creek  at  the  place  called  Effingham  Mills  at  the  joint 
expense  of  the  inhabitants  of  Darlington  and  Williams¬ 
burg  Districts. 

In  1811,  the  road  leading  from  the  causeway  at  and 
passing  through  Black  Mingo  or  Willtown  was  discon¬ 
tinued  as  a  public  road  and  the  road  passing  over  Black 
Mingo  Creek  at  the  old  ferry  below  Black  Mingo  or 
Willtown  was  re-established  as  a  public  road.  The  com- 


210 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


missioners  of  the  districts  of  Williamsburg  and  of  Win- 
yaw  were  authorized  to  build  a  good  and  sufficient  bridge 
over  Black  Mingo  Creek  at  the  old  Black  Mingo  ferry. 

It  was  provided  that  said  bridge  be  so  constructed  as 
to  leave  and  afford  a  full  and  sufficient  passage  above 
and  below  said  bridge  to  all  rafts  and  unmasted  boats, 
flats,  or  other  craft.  All  male  inhabitants  from  sixteen 
to  fifty  years  residing  not  exceeding  ten  miles  from 
Black  Mingo  and  who  made  use  of  said  creek  to  send 
produce  to  market  and  who  were  not  liable  or  compelled 
by  law  to  work  on  any  other  water  course  were  liable 
to  work  on  the  same.  John  James,  James  McConnell, 
Loveless  Gasque,  John  Dozier,  Francis  Greene,  John 
Bossard,  and  Aaron  Gasque  were  appointed  commission¬ 
ers  to  effect  this  ordinance. 

In  1813,  a  new  road  was  laid  out  five  hundred  eight 
yards  from  the  junction  formed  by  the  Indiantown  road 
and  the  post  road  from  Witherspoon’s  Ferry  on  Lynch’s 
Creek,  the  road  leading  by  Loveless  Gasque’s  plan¬ 
tation  in  the  most  direct  way  from  the  said  State 
road  to  the  Black  Mingo  bridge  where  the  old  ferry  was 
established.  This  road  was  laid  out  at  the  expense  of 
Thomas  Williams,  Sr.,  of  Williamsburg.  In  1813,  James 
M.  Grier,  Nathan  Gasque,  Loveless  Gasque,  John  Dozier, 
Benjamin  Britton,  and  David  Wilson,  Jr.,  were  appointed 
commissioners  for  the  purpose  of  erecting  and  building 
a  bridge  over  Black  Mingo  Creek. 

In  1814,  Potato  Ferry  over  Black  River  was  re-estab¬ 
lished  and  vested  in  Thomas  Skrine  for  a  term  of  seven 
years. 

In  1815,  Witherspoon’s  Ferry  over  Lynch’s  Creek  was 
vested  “in  J.  D.  Witherspoon,  executor  of  John  Wither¬ 
spoon,  deceased,  for  a  term  of  fourteen  years  in  trust  for 
and  having  the  sole  use  and  benefit  of  the  incorporated 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Aimwell  on  the  Pee  Dee  River, 


ROADS  AND  FERRIES,  1788  UNTIL  1830  211 

in  conformity  to  the  last  will  and  testament  of  the  said 
John  Witherspoon,  deceased.” 

In  1818,  Mouzon’s  bridge  over  Black  River  was  estab¬ 
lished  as  a  toll  bridge  and  vested  in  Samuel  R.  Mouzon 
for  a  term  of  seven  years,  and  he  was  allowed  to  demand 
and  receive  the  same  rates  of  toll  as  were  allowed  at 
Lowry’s  bridge  on  the  same  river.  In  1818,  the  ferry  at 
the  Episcopal  Church  on  Black  River  heretofore  vested 
in  William  Avant  was  then  vested  in  John  Avant,  the 
owner  of  the  land  on  the  south  side  of  the  river,  and  J ohn 
J.  Greene,  the  owner  of  the  land  on  the  north  side. 

In  1819,  a  dispute  between  Thomas  McConnell  and 
John  Dozier  respecting  the  old  road  leading  across  Black 
Mingo  Creek  at  Willtown  had  arisen.  The  Legislature 
of  that  year  appointed  John  Gotea,  Jr.,  on  the  part  of 
Thomas  McConnell,  and  Hugh  McCutehen,  on  the  part 
of  John  Dozier,  to  make  a  survey  of  this  road  and  a  plat 
of  the  same  which  they  should  return  to  the  board  of 
commissioners  of  roads  of  Williamsburg  District.  This 
board  was  required  to  report  to  the  next  Legislature  the 
propriety  or  impropriety  of  opening  said  road  by  the 
said  Thomas  McConnell’s. 

In  1820,  Loveless  Gasque,  Matthew  Allen,  and  William 
Small,  on  the  part  of  Georgetown  District,  and  John 
Gordon,  Sr.,  John  Dozier,  and  Benjamin  Britton,  on  the 
part  of  Williamsburg  District,  were  appointed  commis¬ 
sioners  to  have  repaired  the  bridge  over  Black  Mingo 
Creek. 

A  public  ferry  was  established  on  Black  River  Swamp 
at  Kingstree  in  1822.  Such  ferry  was  vested  in  the  com¬ 
missioners  of  roads  for  Williamsburg  District  for  a  term 
of  ten  years.  The  following  rates  were  established :  for 
every  wagon  or  other  fourwheeled  carriage,  500;  for  every 
cart  or  chair,  250;  for  every  man  and  horse,  20;  for 
every  head  of  hogs,  sheep,  goats,  and  turkeys,  10;  for 


212 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


every  head  of  black  cattle,  4$;  for  every  head  of  horses, 

20. 

In  1822,  William  Frierson,  Ebenezer  Gibson,  Robert 
Frierson,  Sr.,  William  Montgomery,  John  B.  McCJary, 
William  Camlin,  Jr.,  Henry  Miller,  John  Hawkins, 
Robert  Lester,  and  Isaac  Nelson,  Jr.,  were  appointed  a 
board  of  commissioners  to  open  and  improve  the  naviga¬ 
tion  of  Black  River  from  Benbow’s  Ferry  to  North’s 
Ferry  and  all  the  male  inhabitants  between  the  ages  of 
sixteen  and  fifty  living  within  six  miles  of  the  said  river 
were  required  to  work  on  the  same  under  the  direction  of 
these  commissioners  six  days  in  the  year  and  no  more. 

In  1828,  the  old  road  in  Williamsburg  District  called 
the  Samuel  James’  road,  from  an  old  field  opposite  to 
William  Brown’s  to  its  intersection  with  the  main  road 
near  William  Cooper’s  plantation  in  Indiantown,  was 
re-established  as  a  public  road  and  kept  in  repair. 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 


GOVERNMENT  AND  OFFICIALS,  1783-1830. 

Until  the  Revolution,  elections  in  Prince  Frederick’s 
Parish  were  held  at  Prince  Frederick’s  Church  on  Black 
River,  which  was  located  about  three  miles  east  of  Prince 
Frederick’s  Parish  line.  In  1787,  it  was  enacted  that  all 
elections  in  the  future  for  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish 
should  be  held  at  George  White’s  at  Indiantown.  By  Act 
of  1789,  the  elections  for  members  of  the  Legislature  for 
Prince  Frederick’s  Parish  were  held  on  the  same  day  at 
the  King’s  Tree  Bridge,  at  house  of  George  White  at 
Indiantown,  the  house  of  Captain  John  McCrea,  and  also 
at  the  Episcopal  Church  of  the  Parish.  Two  managers 
were  appointed  for  the  holding  of  these  elections  at  each 
one  of  these  places  and  on  the  day  following  the  elec¬ 
tion,  these  managers  were  required  to  meet  at  the  house 
of  George  White  at  Indiantown  and  then  and  there  open 
the  ballot  boxes  and  declare  the  persons  elected  for  the 
General  Assembly. 

The  South  Carolina  Constitutions  of  1776  and  1778 
were  adopted  under  the  storm  and  stress  of  war,  and  the 
Supreme  Court  held  they  were  merely  legislative  actions. 
The  Constitution  adopted  in  1790  is  a  remarkable  body 
of  fundamental  law.  At  that  time,  South  Carolina  had 
the  experience  it  gathered  from  other  state  constitutions 
as  well  as  far-sighted,  clear-thinking,  and  vigorous-act¬ 
ing  statesmen.  This  Constitution  placed  almost  absolute 
control  of  everything  in  the  hands  of  the  wealthy  slave¬ 
holding  aristocracy. 

There  was  a  property  qualification  required  for  mem¬ 
bership  in  the  General  Assembly.  A  representative  must 
own  in  the  district  five  hundred  acres  of  land  or  real 
estate  of  one  hundred  fifty  pounds  sterling.  He  need  not 
reside  in  the  district,  if  he  owned  property  of  the  value 


214 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


of  five  hundred  pounds  sterling.  A  senator  must  own 
real  estate  in  the  district  to  the  value  of  three  hundred 
pounds;  or,  if  a  non-resident,  have  one  thousand  pounds 
sterling.  A  man  might  vote  in  any  district  in  which  he 
owned  fifty  acres  of  land  or  a  town  lot;  or  in  the  district 
in  which  he  lived,  if  he  paid  three  shillings  tax.  The 
Legislature  was  given  almost  unlimited  power.  In  addi¬ 
tion  to  its  law  making  functions,  it  elected  governor, 
presidential  electors,  United  States  senators,  and  almost 
every  other  official  down  to  county  coroners. 

In  his  Sectionalism  in  South  Carolina,  Dr.  W.  A. 
Schaper  of  the  University  of  Minnesota  says :  “The  slave 
holding  planters — a  mere  handful  of  the  white  popula¬ 
tion — became  the  absolute  masters  of  the  situation  and 
remained  so  to  the  end.  They  had  almost  unlimited 
power  to  oppress  the  up  country  people,  and  it  must  be 
recorded  to  their  credit  that  they  never  used  their  power 
for  that  purpose,  nor  was  a  single  charge  of  corruption 
brought  against  the  government  in  the  heated  contro¬ 
versy  which  led  to  the  reform  in  the  representation  in 
1808.  Their  administration  seems  to  have  been  singularly 
fair  and  it  speaks  well  for  the  wisdom  and  manhood  of 
the  South  Carolina  planters.” 

The  working  of  this  Constitution  of  1790  divided  South 
Carolina  into  two  factions  which  have  existed  until  the 
present  day.  The  “low  country”  consisted  of  the  old 
judicial  districts  of  Georgetown,  Charleston  and  Beau¬ 
fort.  It  was  the  strip  of  land  about  sixty  miles  in  width 
from  the  seashore  westward.  Williamsburg  was  in¬ 
cluded  in  this  “low  country,”  and  has  proven  loyal  to  its 
idealism  in  all  periods  of  South  Carolina  history.  The 
“low  country”  was  settled  many  years  before  the  “up 
country,”  and  by  people  who  emigrated  directly  from 
Europe ;  while  the  “up  country”  immigrants  came  largely 
from  the  states  to  the  North,  following  southward  the 
foothills  of  the  Appalachian  Mountains. 


GOVERNMENT  AND  OFFICIALS,  1783-1830  215 


During  colonial  times,  Charleston  had  been  the  seat 
of  the  Government.  After  the  Revolution,  the  “up  coun¬ 
try, where  probably  four-fifths  of  the  population  of  the 
State  resided,  succeeded  by  one  vote  in  making  Colum¬ 
bia  the  capital  of  the  State.  However,  a  sort  of  dupli¬ 
cate  government  was  created  and  the  predominancy  of 
the  low  country  in  a  great  measure  was  preserved.  The 
low  country,  with  one-fifth  of  the  white  population,  kept 
control  of  the  Legislature.  The  Governor  was  required 
to  reside  in  Columbia  during  the  sittings  of  the  General 
Assembly  and  was  permitted  to  live  elsewhere  as  in  his 
judgment  conditions  required.  That  meant  that  he  lived 
in  Charleston  at  least  four-fifths  of  his  time.  Nineteen 
out  of  the  first  twenty  governors’  terms  in  South  Caro¬ 
lina  were  filled  by  citizens  of  Charleston  and  the  twen¬ 
tieth  by  Governor  Alston  who  was  from  Georgetown  and 
held  “low  country”  ideals. 

This  Constitution  of  1790  also  provided  for  two  trea¬ 
surers,  one  to  hold  office  in  Columbia  and  the  other  in 
Charleston.  The  offices  of  the  Secretary  of  State  and 
Surveyor  General  were  to  be  kept  open  at  both  these 
places,  the  principals  to  reside  in  one  and  the  deputies  in 
the  other.  The  Supreme  Court  sat  at  Charleston  as  well 
as  at  Columbia. 

The  story  of  the  working  of  this  dual  government  and 
the  dominance  for  three-fourths  of  a  century  in  South 
Carolina  of  the  relatively  small  aristocracy  in  the  “low 
country”  over  the  ever  increasing  democracy  of  the  “up 
country”  is  exceedingly  interesting  to  students  of  soci¬ 
ology  and  of  government.  During  this  period,  South 
Carolina  more  nearly  approached  the  conditions  obtain¬ 
ing  in  Greece  in  the  age  of  Pericles  than  has  any  other 
people  up  to  this  time.  Dr.  David  Duncan  Wallace  called 
South  Carolina  during  this  period  “an  aristocratic  re¬ 
public.” 


216 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


From  1730  until  1769,  all  official  matters  of  the  citizens 
of  the  District  of  Williamsburg  received  attention  in  the 
city  of  Charleston  and  all  official  records  were  kept 
there.  From  1769  until  1806,  Williamsburg,  then  known 
as  Prince  Frederick’s  Parish,  was  a  part  of  Georgetown 
District,  and  its  official  matters  received  attention  in 
that  city.  However,  many  of  the  wills  and  deeds  from 
Williamsburg  during  that  period  were  filed  and  re¬ 
corded  in  Charleston. 

In  1804,  an  Act  was  passed  establishing  Williamsburg 
District  according  to  the  boundaries  of  Williamsburg 
County  named  in  the  Act  of  1785  into  a  Circuit  Court 
District.  By  Act  of  1805,  court  was  required  to  be  held 
at  Williamsburg  Court  House  at  the  King’s  Tree  on  the 
21st  days  of  March  and  of  October  of  each  year,  and  to 
sit  for  any  time  not  exceeding  five  days.  All  suits  and 
prosecutions  then  pending  in  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas 
and  General  Sessions  at  Georgetown  wherein  the  defen¬ 
dants  resided  in  the  District  of  Williamsburg  were  trans¬ 
ferred  to  the  Courts  of  Williamsburg,  there  being  finally 
determined. 

Major  James  Campbell,  Major  John  Nesmith,  and 
Theodore  Gourdin,  Esq.,  were  appointed  commissioners 
for  the  purpose  of  taking  bond  and  security  from  the 
Clerk  and  Sheriff  appointed  for  Williamsburg,  for  secur¬ 
ing  a  court  house  for  the  use  of  the  people  of  the  Williams¬ 
burg  District,  and  for  attending  to  such  other  business 
as  should  be  required  in  the  organization  of  the  new 
district. 

When  Messrs.  Campbell,  Nesmith,  and  Gourdin  under¬ 
took  to  secure  a  court  house  at  the  King’s  Tree  for  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  District,  they  found  that  the  land  set  apart  as 
a  public  parade  ground  in  1736,  and  which  belonged  to 
the  district,  was  in  the  possession  of  William  Brady,  who 
had  built  a  house  on  it  and  claimed  the  lot.  This  com¬ 
mittee  was  unable  to  secure  this  lot  until  Mr.  Brady  died 


GOVERNMENT  AND  OFFICIALS,  1783-1830  217 


in  1820.  In  1805,  they  leased  a  store  house  of  Patrick 
Cormick’s  which  was  located  near  where  Mr.  Hammett’s 
home  now  is  at  the  cornor  of  Main  and  Long  Streets, 
Kingstree,  for  use  as  a  court  house. 

The  sessions  of  the  District  Court  about  this  time  were 
seasons  of  great  dignity  and  solemnity.  The  High  Sheriff 
of  the  district  always  escorted  with  a  drawn  sword  at 
carry  the  presiding  judge  from  his  hotel  to  his  seat  on 
the  bench,  and  the  assembled  multitude  in  strict  harmony 
with  these  formalities  paid  respectful  homage.  Court 
was  opened  with  a  sermon  preached  at  length  in  the  aholy 
tone”  by  some  venerable  minister.  The  Reverend  William 
Knox,  of  the  Black  Mingo  Church,  was  usually  the 
“sermonizer.”  He  was  paid  $12.85  for  each  of  these 
sermons,  $10.00  fee  and  $2.85  for  mileage.  After  the 
sermon,  the  grand  jury  was  drawn  and  the  presiding  judge 
delivered  a  formidable  charge.  Immediately  after  the 
charge,  the  session  adjourned  for  the  day  and  everybody 
hurried  across  the  street  to  Bracy’s  bar  and  there  re¬ 
freshed  themselves.  The  next  morning  everybody  was 
ready  to  decree  woe  to  the  unfortunates  coming  on  for  a 
hearing. 

The  first  trial  in  the  court  of  Williamsburg  District 
was  entitled,  “The  State  against  Daniel  S.  Eaddy,  Moses 
Brown,  Samuel  Eaddy,  Jr.,  and  James  Eaddy — assault 
and  battery.”  These  gentlemen  had  held  a  good  old 
Irish  adiscussion  with  sticks,”  plead  guilty,  paid  their 
fines,  and  doubtless  regarded  their  money  well  spent. 

In  1820,  the  General  Assembly  of  South  Carolina  ap¬ 
propriated  $10,000.00  for  the  building  of  the  Williams¬ 
burg  District  Court  House.  This  money  was  made  avail¬ 
able  at  once  and  the  front  part  of  the  present  Court  House 
was  built  from  plans  of  Architect  Robert  Mills  and  oc¬ 
cupied  in  1823.  This  structure  was  erected  with  greatest 
care  and  for  overcoming  chance  and  time.  Its  walls  are 
thirty  inches  of  solid  brick.  These  brick  seem  to  resist 


218 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


decay.  Tradition  says  that  they  were  brought  from 
Charleston. 

Samuel  R.  Mouzon  was  the  first  sheriff  of  Williams¬ 
burg  District;  J.  McMurray,  the  first  clerk  of  the  Court 
of  Common  Pleas;  David  McClary,  the  first  ordinary: 
all  chosen  and  qualified  in  1806.  For  about  twenty  years, 
either  Samuel  R.  Mouzon  or  Peter  Mouzon  was  sheriff 
of  the  district.  One  seems  to  have  been  elected  for  one 
term  and  the  other  for  the  next.  At  that  time,  Williams¬ 
burg  District  and  Winyaw  formed  one  senatorial  district. 
Major  James  Campbell,  of  Williamsburg,  was  its  first 
senator.  R.  L.  Witherspoon  and  John  Dozier  composed 
the  first  delegation  from  Williamsburg  District  in  the 
House  of  Representatives.  David  McClary  was  ordinary 
for  Williamsburg  District  for  more  than  thirty  years. 

John  Dozier  was  elected  senator  in  1815;  and  William 
Burrows  and  Thomas  Brown,  members  of  the  House  of 
Representatives.  In  1819,  T.  P.  Davis  and  Thomas 
Witherspoon  were  elected  representatives;  Moses  Mat¬ 
thews,  sheriff;  Hugh  McCutchen,  commissioner  of  loca¬ 
tion  of  lands,  and  James  McCutchen,  coroner.  In  1823, 
T.  P.  Davis  was  senator;  William  Salters  and  John 
Graham,  representatives;  T.  D.  Singleton,  sheriff;  J. 
Gotea,  Clerk  of  the  Court  of  Common  Pleas ;  and  W.  Hid* 
dleston,  coroner. 

In  1825,  Peter  Mouzon  was  sheriff ;  R.  G.  Ferrell,  Clerk 
of  the  Court;  John  Graham,  senator;  James  D.  Singleton 
and  David  D.  Wilson  members  of  the  House  of  Represen¬ 
tatives.  In  1830,  William  Cooper  was  elected  a  member 
of  the  House  of  Representatives  and  Samuel  E.  Graham 
became  sheriff. 

During  this  period,  the  militia  was  an  important  factor 
in  the  district.  Once  every  two  months  all  of  the  men 
of  the  district  reported  to  their  company  headquarters  for 
instruction  in  military  matters  and  these  gatherings  were 
influential  in  politics  and  in  society  at  large.  Among  the 


GOVERNMENT  AND  OFFICIALS,  1783-1830  219 

officers  of  the  companies  and  battalions  in  the  Williams¬ 
burg  District  from  the  War  of  the  Revolution  to  1830 
may  be  named  the  following:  Colonel  Robert  L.  Wither¬ 
spoon,  Colonel  William  Cooper,  Major  John  Macauley, 
Major  John  Nesmith,  Major  James  Campbell,  Captains 
William  Flagler,  John  McCrea,  John  Fulton,  William 
Graham,  Samuel  Malcolmson,  Isaac  Nelson,  John  Scott, 
R.  L.  Gourdin,  William  Frierson,  John  Graham,  John 
Coachman,  John  Dozier,  Leonard  Dozier,  William  G. 
Flagler,  and  Abraham  Michau.  These  militia  organiza¬ 
tions  were  punctilious  in  the  matter  of  observing  military 
forms  and  ceremonies.  Thev  always  attended  Fourth  of 

t/  e/ 

July  celebrations  and  other  official  occasions.  When  one 
of  their  officers  died,  a  militarv  funeral  was  held.  In 
1798,  Lieutenant  Alexander  Cunningham  died  and  was 
buried  in  the  Williamsburg  cemetery  at  Kingstree  with 
military  honors.  It  was  a  very  imposing  ceremony. 

A  great  many  of  the  younger  men  of  the  district  volun¬ 
teered  and  served  in  the  War  of  1812.  There  were  three 
well  known  officers  from  Williamsburg  in  this  War,  Major 
James  Campbell,  Captain  Isaac  Nelson,  and  Captain  R.  L. 
Gourdin.  Captain  Gourdin  was  adjutant  of  the  Forty- 
Third  United  States  Infantry,  stationed  at  Georgetown, 
and  signed  the  discharges  of  many  of  the  men  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  who  served  in  that  regiment. 


CHAPTER  XIX. 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM. 

From  1805  until  1835,  nearly  all  of  the  men  of  Williams¬ 
burg,  who  had  served  in  the  Revolutionary  War  under 
General  Francis  Marion,  died.  Almost  every  old  man  who 
died  in  Williamsburg  during  that  period  had  been  a 
soldier  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  The  only  migra¬ 
tions  to  this  district  during  that  period  were  some  officers 
and  men  of  General  Greene’s  army  who  liked  this  country 
when  they  saw  it  and  settled  here  immediately  after  they 
were  discharged  from  the  service. 

Here  follow  some  notes  gathered  from  the  wills  of 
these  ancient  warriors  and  from  other  dependable  sources. 
From  these  notes  on  wills  and  from  others  on  preceding 
pages,  probably  three-fourths  of  the  present  inhabitants 
of  Williamsburg  may  trace  their  ancestry  to  original 
settlers  of  1735. 

The  will  of  Edward  Howard  was  the  first  one  recorded 
in  Williamsburg  District.  It  was  dated  December  29, 
1805,  and  proved  before  David  McClary,  ordinary,  Feb¬ 
ruary  24,  1806.  In  this  will,  he  mentions  his  brother, 
William  Howard,  and  his  nephew,  John  Howard.  John 
Scott,  of  Kingstree,  and  John  Scott,  of  Cedar  Swamp, 
were  appointed  executors.  Witnesses,  John  Burgess  and 
William  McCullough.  Inventory  of  the  estate  was  made 
by  James  McFadden,  Thomas  McCrea,  Jr.,  and  John 
McCullough. 

The  second  will  recorded  in  Williamsburg  records  was 
that  of  Susannah  V.  Mouzon,  spinster,  who  died  Septem¬ 
ber  15,  1817.  This  was  a  holograph  will.  She  left  all 
of  her  property  to  her  sister,  Anne  Mouzon.  The  ear 
witnesses  to  this  will  were  Elizabeth  Mouzon,  Mary  B. 
Mouzon,  and  James  G.  McGill. 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


221 


The  will  of  Isaac  Barrineau,  Sr.,  of  Black  River,  is 
dated  February  24,  1806.  He  mentions  Ferreby,  his 
wife;  his  daughters,  Margaret  Lifrage,  Nancy  Hinson, 
Levina  Bradshaw,  Sarah  Barrineau,  and  Margaret  Bar- 
rineau;  and  his  sons,  Jesse,  Isaac,  and  Mandewell.  He 
appointed  William  Lifrage  and  Arthur  Barrineau  his  ex¬ 
ecutors.  Witnesses,  William  Flagler,  Jesse  Barrineau, 
and  James  Bradshaw.  Appraisement  made  by  James 
Campbell,  Robert  Frierson,  Jr.,  and  James  G.  McGill. 

The  will  of  Solomon  Rhodus  is  dated  September  18, 
1804.  He  mentions  his  wife,  Nancy  Rhodus;  his  brother, 
William  Rhodus;  the  heirs  of  his  brothers,  Nathaniel, 
David,  and  John;  and  the  heirs  of  his  sister,  Mary,  and 
of  his  sister,  Patience  Hill.  He  also  mentions  his  sister, 
Anne  Perrett.  This  will  is  witnessed  by  Jonathan  Bost- 
wick  and  Martha  Fluitt.  Appraisement  made  by  Wil¬ 
liam  McCullough,  John  Hickson,  and  William  McConnell. 

George  Burrows  made  his  will  July  5,  1797.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  sons,  William  and  George  Washington.  His 
executors  were  William  Burrows,  Charles  Williams, 
George  McCutchen,  and  James  Campbell.  Witnesses, 
George  Dickey,  Sarah  Dickey,  Sr.,  Sarah  Dickey,  Jr.  Ap¬ 
praisement  by  John  James,  John  Winter,  and  Hugh  Mc¬ 
Cutchen. 

John  D.  Burgess  dated  his  will  June  30,  1806.  His 
beneficiaries  were  his  brother-in-law,  George  Cooper;  his 
mother,  Margaret  Burgess;  his  sisters,  Jane  M.  Magda¬ 
lene,  Mary  Ann  Elizabeth,  Louisa,  Caroline  Sophia,  and 
Pomelia.  His  executors  were  Dr.  William  Dollard,  Hugh 
McCutchen,  and  Thomas  P.  Davis.  Witnesses,  William 
Cooper,  J.  P.  Montgomery,  and  Frank  Walsh. 

James  Gowdy’s  will  is  dated  December  15,  1806.  He 
left  his  property  to  his  children,  Mary  Frances,  and 
James  Malcolmson.  In  case  of  the  death  of  these  two 
children,  his  estate  was  to  be  divided  between  the  chil¬ 
dren  of  his  brother,  Ebenezer  Gibson,  and  the  children 


222 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


of  his  sister,  Frances  McConnell.  Executors,  Gavin 
Witherspoon  and  James  McBride.  Witnesses,  Jonathan 
Bostwick,  William  Frierson,  and  Peter  Morland.  Ap¬ 
praisement  made  by  Robert  P.  Witherspoon,  William 
Frierson,  and  James  Witherspoon. 

Ebenezer  Gibson’s  will  is  dated  August  1,  1806.  He 
mentions  his  son,  Ebenezer;  his  daughter,  Frances;  his 
grandchildren,  James  Malcolmson  Gowdy  and  Mary 
Gowdy;  his  son-in-law,  William  McConnell;  his  daughter, 
Frances  McConnell ;  and  his  grandsons,  Ebenezer  Frank¬ 
lin  McConnell  and  William  Gibson  McConnell.  His  ex¬ 
ecutors  were  John  Watson,  James  Tisdale,  and  William 
McCullough.  Witnesses,  Robert  Cantley,  Mary  Cantley, 
and  Thomas  Gibson.  Appraisement  made  by  Gavin 
Witherspoon,  William  McCullough,  and  James  McBride. 

William  McElveen’s  will  was  not  dated  but  was  proveu 
January  19,  1807.  He  mentions  his  wife,  Margaret;  his 
sons,  William,  James,  Henry,  and  Thomas;  his  daugh¬ 
ters,  Mary  Ann,  Margaret,  and  Jane;  and  his  daughter- 
in-law,  Eleanor  Matthews  and  her  son,  John.  Execu¬ 
tors,  William  and  James  McElveen,  William  James 
Cooper,  and  Robert  Gregg.  Appraisement  made  by  John 
James,  Samuel  Scott,  and  Benjamin  Britton. 

John  Gotea,  Sr.,  dated  his  will  March  24,  1818.  The 
beneficiaries  were  his  wife,  Elizabeth;  his  son,  George 
Cooper  Gotea;  and  his  daughter,  Eleanor,  who  married 
Douglass.  Executors,  Hugh  McCutchen,  Alexander  Mc- 
Knight,  and  William  Gibson,  Jr.  Witnesses,  T.  M. 
Brown,  William  Gibson,  and  John  McKnight. 

Anne  Spring’s  will  is  dated  February  10,  1807.  The 
beneficiaries  were  her  son,  Cornelius;  her  daughter,  Anne 
Byrd;  granddaughter,  Orpha  Byrd.  Witnesses,  John 
McCallister,  John  Rodgers,  and  Margaret  Rodgers.  Pro¬ 
ven  before  John  Nesmith,  J.  Q.  Appraisement  made  by 
Robert  Cade,  Robert  McCallister,  and  John  McCallister. 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


223 


William  McElroy’s  will  is  dated  December  30,  1806. 
The  beneficiaries  were:  sons,  John,  Andrew,  and  William; 
daughter,  Elizabeth;  his  six  younger  children,  Mary,  Jane 
Tisdale,  James,  Margaret  McConnell,  Sarah  Dobein,  and 
Samuel  Adair.  His  wife,  Jane,  and  Robert  L.  Wither¬ 
spoon  were  made  his  executors.  Witnesses,  Gavin  Wither¬ 
spoon,  Joseph  Witherspoon,  and  Ebenezer  Gibson.  Ap¬ 
praisement  made  by  Gavin  Witherspoon,  John  Watson, 
and  Ebenezer  Gibson. 

John  Gibson’s  will  is  dated  November  21,  1807.  The 
beneficiaries  were  his  wife,  Elander;  sons,  William,  John, 
George,  Thomas,  James;  and  his  stepchildren,  John  and 
Jane  Gotea,  children  of  John  Go  tea,  deceased.  Execu¬ 
tors:  his  wife,  Jane  Gotea,  William  Gibson,  and  Alexan¬ 
der  McKnight,  and  Hugh  McCutchen.  Witnesses,  James 
McConnell,  Mary  McConnell,  and  William  Hitch.  Ap¬ 
praisement  made  by  William  Burrows,  James  McConnell, 
and  Alexander  Scott. 

William  J.  Cooper’s  will  is  dated  February  3,  1808.  The 
beneficiaries  are  his  wife,  Jane;  daughter,  Mary;  son, 
George;  daughter,  Nancy  McCottry  Cooper  and  one  other 
child  not  named.  He  gave  the  Presbyterian  Church  at 
Indiantown  $800.00  and  the  estate  of  Robert  McCottry, 
one  sulky.  Executors,  wife,  Jane;  brother,  George 
Cooper;  Hugh  McCutchen  and  Joseph  McCottry.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  David  Gordon,  John  Winter,  and  Thomas  Mc¬ 
Cutchen.  Appraisement  made  by  John  James,  George 
McCutchen,  and  Thomas  McCrea,  Sr. 

John  McCallister’s  will  is  dated  June  28,  1806.  The 
beneficiaries  were  his  four  oldest  children,  John,  Charles, 
William,  and  Anne.  He  mentions  his  younger  sons, 
Ezekial  and  Sampson;  his  younger  daughters,  Sarah  and 
Mary;  his  son-in-law,  David  Lee;  and  his  sister,  Ann 
Spring;  and  his  wife,  Catherine.  Executors,  James 
Graham,  William  Graham,  and  William  McCallister. 
Witnesses,  John  McBride,  William  McCutchen,  and  Elam 


224 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


James  Mills.  Appraisement  made  by  Robert  Cade,  Wil¬ 
liam  Dickey,  and  Eison  Atkinson. 

Stephen  Owens’  will  is  dated  April  20,  1808.  The 
beneficiaries  were  his  brother,  Peter  Owens;  sisters,  Mary 
Hannah,  Jane  Price,  Cemmy  Johnson,  Ann  Haselden, 
and  Elizabeth  Haselden.  The  heirs  of  his  deceased  bro¬ 
ther,  Zacine  Owens,  and  James  Hanna,  husband  of  his 
sister,  Lucy,  deceased,  and  Edward  Johnson,  husband  of 
his  sister,  Ann.  Executors,  Peter  Owens,  Samuel  and 
John  Haselden,  and  John  Price.  Witnesses,  James 
Dobbin,  Henry  Snow,  and  Thomas  Jenkins.  Appraise¬ 
ment  made  by  WTlliam  Johnson,  Sr.,  William  James, 
and  William  Johnson,  Jr. 

James  G.  Calhoun’s  will  is  dated  August  6,  1808.  The 
beneficiaries  were  his  wife,  not  named;  son,  William 
Alexander  McKnight  Calhoun ;  children  of  his  sister,  Ruth 
Durant,  except  Jane  C.  Bellune  who  has  already  been 
provided  for;  and  the  children  of  his  sisters,  Ann  Brown 
and  Mary  Rodgers.  Executors,  Alexander  McKnight,  Sr., 
William  Burrows,  and  Nathaniel  Snow.  Witnesses, 
James  McGinney,  A.  L.  McGregor,  and  Samuel  Grier. 
Appraisement  made  by  Samuel  Nesmith,  John  Graham, 
and  George  Cooper,  Sr. 

Eliphalet  H.  Burdick’s  will  is  dated  September  2,  1820. 
The  beneficiaries  were  his  brother,  Elam  C.  Burdick; 
Elizabeth  M.  Hewitt,  Sarah  Hewitt,  John  J.  Hewitt,  Fran¬ 
cis  Marion  Hewitt,  Thomas  N.  Hewitt,  and  Anna  Hewitt, 
his  aunt  Mary’s  children.  Executors,  uncle  William  J. 
Burrows,  and  aunt  Mary  Hewitt.  Witnesses,  John  Tharp, 
Robert  Wisner,  and  James  Gibson. 

John  Keels  dated  his  will  April  27,  1818.  The  bene¬ 
ficiaries  were  his  wife,  Mary  Keels;  sons,  Peter  R.,  James 
W.,  Richard  T.,  and  Robert  F.,  daughter,  Mary  Maria. 
Witnesses,  Benjamin  Blanchard,  William  F.  Blanchard, 
and  William  M.  McDonald. 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


225 


Robert  Gamble’s  will  is  dated  December  5,  1809.  His 
only  son,  James  Gamble,  is  mentioned.  Executors,  bis 
son,  James  Gamble,  and  his  nephew,  James  Burgess. 
Witnesses,  William  H.  Mouzon,  Mary  Mouzon,  and  James 
G.  McGill. 

Patrick  Cormick,  of  the  village  of  Williamsburg,  dated 
his  will  June  11,  1820.  He  mentions  his  wife  and  three 
children,  Ann,  Jane,  and  Elizabeth,  and  one  other  child 
not  named.  Mrs.  Cormick  is  made  sole  executrix,  and 
Thomas  P.  Davis,  Esq.,  is  designated  in  the  will  as  her 
legal  adviser.  Witnesses,  James  Bradley,  T.  D.  Single- 
ton,  and  Joseph  Adams. 

Hugh  Graham’s  will  is  dated  October  11,  1809.  The 
beneficiaries  were  his  wife,  Sevil  Graham;  his  sons,  John 
Graham,  William  Graham,  and  James  Graham  and  his 
daughters,  Sarah  Graham,  Elizabeth  McCallister,  Sevil 
Hathhorn,  Ann,  Jean,  Hester,  and  Mary.  Executors,  his 
wife,  Sevil ;  his  son,  William  Graham,  and  William 
Graham,  Esq.  Witnesses,  James  Myers,  Philip  McRae, 
and  William  Dick.  Appraisers,  Philip  McRae,  Solomon 
McClam,  and  William  Duke. 

Benjamin  Durant’s  will  is  dated  January  3,  1810.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Mary;  his  son,  John;  and  his  daugh¬ 
ters,  Hannah  Fleming  and  Martha  Mary.  Executors, 
his  wife,  Mary,  and  George  Chandler.  Witnesses,  Robert 
Frierson,  Jr.,  Margaret  Hamilton,  and  David  Benton. 
Appraisers,  Robert  Frierson,  Jr.,  Martin  Staggers,  and 
William  Douglass. 

James  Zuill  of  Willtown  dated  his  will  March  20, 
1810.  He  mentions  his  wife,  Margaret.  He  gives  to  his 
son,  John  Zuill,  his  real  and  personal  estate  in  the  parish 
of  Belpon,  in  North  Britain  (Scotland.)  He  refers  to 
John  and  Jane  Pressley  as  “my  two  little  children.”  His 
excutors  were  his  wife,  Margaret,  and  Thomas  McCon¬ 
nell.  Witnesses,  William  Hitch,  David  Martin,  and 


226 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Cleland  Belin.  Appraisers,  John  Dozier,  John  Pressley, 
and  John  Graham. 

Joseph  McKee  dated  his  will  March  23,  1810.  He 
mentions  his  wife ;  his  daughter,  Elizabeth ;  his  grandson, 
John  White;  his  granddaughter,  Elizabeth  McClary;  his 
grandson,  Samuel  M.  Knox;  his  grandchildren  by  his 
daughter,  Elizabeth  Fleming,  wife  of  James  Fleming. 
He  mentions  his  father,  Archibald  McKee.  Executors,  his 
wife,  his  brother,  John  Shaw,  and  his  nephews,  Robert 
and  Thomas  Witherspoon.  Witnesses,  John  R.  McClary, 
Roger  Wilson,  and  Roger  G.  Cantley.  Appraisers,  Gavin 
Witherspoon,  John  McClary,  and  Hugh  Wilson. 

Henry  Price  dated  his  will  April  27,  1810.  His  wife, 
Margaret,  and  her  sons,  William  and  Hugh  McFaddin, 
are  mentioned.  Witnesses,  James  McFaddin,  John  Mont¬ 
gomery,  and  William  D.  Scott. 

Elizabeth  McKee’s  will  is  dated  July  2,  1810.  The 
beneficiaries  were  Peter,  David,  and  William  Shaw,  neph¬ 
ews;  Elizabeth,  Lillie,  and  Sarah,  nieces.  Witnesses, 
Jannet  Austin  and  Samuel  M.  Knox. 

William  Buford’s  will  is  dated  October  25,  1810.  The 
beneficiaries  were  his  son,  William  June;  his  daughters, 
Emma  Corbett,  wife  of  William  Richardson,  Esq. ; 
Frances  Fraser,  wife  of  Reverened  Hugh  Fraser;  and 
Elizabeth,  wife  of  John  S.  Richardson,  Esq.  Executors, 
his  son  and  three  sons-in-law.  Witnesses,  T.  D/.  Single- 
ton,  Daniel  McDonald,  and  William  Lesesne.  In  a  codi¬ 
cil,  he  mentions  Peter  Fraser,  his  grandson.  Appraisers, 
Daniel  McDonald,  John  Blakely,  and  John  Watson. 

Thomas  Rodgers  dated  his  will  April  12,  1811.  The 
beneficiaries  were  Margaret  Rodgers,  his  wife;  daughter, 
Mary  Ann  Rodgers;  and  his  sons,  William  and  David 
Rodgers.  Executors,  Captain  John  Scott  and  John 
Matthews,  Jr.  Appraisers,  William  Wilson,  George  Mc¬ 
Connell  Fulton,  and  Samuel  Fulton. 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


227 


Jane  James  dated  her  will  April  16,  1811.  She  men¬ 
tions  her  sons,  John,  William,  and  Samuel;  grandsons, 
Robert  Sidney,  James  Edwards,  and  John  Benoni,  sons 
of  Robert  Witherspoon;  granddaughter,  Jane  Wilson, 
wife  of  William  Wilson;  granddaughter,  Sarah  Jane 
James,  daughter  of  son,  William.  Executors,  John,  Wil¬ 
liam,  and  Samuel  James.  Witnesses,  William  Ervin, 
Colwell  Crawford,  and  William  Johnson,  Jr. 

Paul  Michau’s  will  is  dated  December  30,  1811.  The 
beneficiaries  were  his  daughters,  Ann,  Dorothy,  and  Char¬ 
lotte;  his  son,  Alexander  Michau;  his  daughter,  Lyda 
Singletary,  and  his  grandson,  Isaac  Samuel  Singletary. 
The  executors  were  his  nephews,  Samuel  Perdreau  and 
John  Perdreau,  and  his  son,  Alexander  Michau.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  Hugh  Fraser,  Alexander  Glass,  and  Frances  Fra¬ 
ser.  Appraisers,  Henry  H.  Bostwick,  Solomon  Budden, 
and  John  Arnett. 

Isaac  Matthews  dated  his  will  1811.  His  sons,  John 
and  Isaac;  his  daughter,  Ann,  wife  of  Captain  John 
Screven;  his  daughter,  Sarah,  wife  of  William  Lester, 
and  his  daughters,  Jane  and  Mary;  are  mentioned.  Ex¬ 
ecutors,  his  two  sons  and  his  two  sons-in-law.  Witnesses, 
Thomas  Scott,  Moses  Matthews,  and  Robert  Lowry. 

Dr.  John  Graham  dated  his  will  February  13,  1813. 
Dr.  Graham  was  one  of  the  wealthiest  men  in  the  county. 
He  left  no  descendants.  Just  before  the  Revolutionary 
War,  his  mother,  with  her  three  small  boys,  migrated  from 
Chester,  Pa.,  to  Fayetteville,  North  Carolina,  where  they 
lived  a  number  of  years.  Dr.  Graham  studied  medicine 
and  settled  on  Black  River  near  Kingstree.  His  two 
brothers  remained  in  North  Carolina  and  one  of  them 
later  became  a  general  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution  and 
the  other,  Secretary  of  the  Navy.  From  these  two  men 
have  descended  many  distinguished  Grahams  of  the 
State  of  North  Carolina.  Dr.  Graham  was  buried  in  the 
Williamsburg  cemetery. 


228 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


John  McNicholl  Connor  dated  his  will  April  10,  1813. 
The  beneficiaries  were  his  wife,  Susannah ;  his  daughters, 
Ann  and  Sarah,  and  an  unborn  child.  Executors,  Joseph 
Horton,  John  Keels,  and  his  wife,  Susannah.  Witnesses, 
William  Lesesne,  Benjamin  Blanchard,  and  David  Brun¬ 
son.  Appraisers,  Charles  F.  Lesesne,  Francis  Cordes,  and 
John  Keels. 

John  McMurray  dated  his  will  April  2,  1813.  He  re¬ 
quests  that  he  be  buried  in  James  G.  McGill’s  burying 
ground.  In  his  will,  he  mentions  his  wife,  Sarah  Strong; 
his  brother,  James  McMurray;  and  his  daughter,  Mary 
Ann.  He  refers  to  his  mother  but  does  not  name  her. 
Executors,  William  H.  Bostwick,  Elijah  H.  Bostwick, 
and  Elizabeth  McMurray.  Appraisers,  William  Flagler, 
Martin  Staggers,  and  Samuel  Fluitt. 

Captain  Joseph  Coachman’s  will  is  dated  September 
7,  1813.  The  beneficiaries  were  his  wife,  Margaret;  his 
daughters,  Mary  Lynch  Simons  and  Hannah  Greene;  and 
his  sons,  Benjamin  and  Isaac.  Executors,  his  wife, 
Margaret,  and  his  brother,  John  Coachman.  Witnesses, 
T.  M.  Brown,  Samuel  Fluitt,  and  T.  D.  Singleton.  Ap¬ 
praisers,  T.  D.  Singleton,  Gavin  Witherspoon,  and  Robert 
Wilson. 

Paul  Jaudon’s  will  is  dated  Julv  15,  1814.  The  bene- 

t j  7 

ficiaries  were  his  wife,  Elizabeth;  his  children,  Paul, 
James,  Samuel,  Esther,  and  Sarah.  Executors,  Alexan¬ 
der  Glass,  Samuel  Perdreau,  and  wife,  Elizabeth.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  Caleb  Charles  Lenud,  Joseph  Logan,  and  Benja¬ 
min  Guerry. 

Jacob  Coleman’s  will  is  not  dated.  He  mentions  his 
wife,  Susannah;  grandson,  Jacob  W.  Williams;  his 
daughters,  Susannah  Coleman,  Elizabeth  Murphy,  Marga¬ 
ret  Barrineau,  and  Hetty  Williams.  He  mentions  the 
heirs  of  his  son,  George,  deceased,  and  his  grandson, 
George,  son  of  Samuel  Coleman.  Witnesses,  John  Stag¬ 
gers,  Isaac  Montgomery,  and  Christian  Rae. 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


229 


John  Hickson’s  will  is  dated  June  15,  1813.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  son,  Moses;  his  daughters,  Ann  Bostwick  and 
Elizabeth  Hawkins,  and  his  three  youngest  children, 
James,  Solomon  Rhodus,  and  Richard  Sessions.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  Nathaniel  McCullough,  Daniel  J.  Williams,  and 
William  Miller.  Appraisers,  Nathaniel  McCullough,  Wil¬ 
liam  Dobbin,  and  John  Sessions. 

James  Barr’s  will  is  dated  June  21,  1812.  He  mentions 
his  son,  John,  and  his  heirs;  daughter,  Elizabeth,  and 
her  husband,  Hugh  Hanna;  grandchildren,  George  Alex¬ 
ander  Barr  and  Elizabeth  Kirkpatrick  Barr,  children  of 
son,  Daniel,  deceased;  daughter,  Jane,  and  her  sons, 
George  and  James.  Witnesses,  Samuel  McGill,  Edward 

D.  Johnson,  and  Roger  Gordon. 

Hannah  Paisley’s  will  is  dated  September  12,  1815. 
She  mentions  her  daughter,  Sarah,  wife  of  William 
Gamble;  daughter,  Susannah,  wife  of  John  Matthews, 
Jr.;  granddaughter,  Sarah  Hannah  Adaline  Matthews; 
grandson,  Samuel  McGill  Gamble.  Executors,  Samuel 
R.  Mouzon,  John  Matthews,  Jr.,  and  William  Taylor, 
of  Sumter  District.  Witnesses,  William  Wilson,  Samuel 

E.  Fulton,  and  Robert  J.  Wilson. 

Janet  Scott’s  will  is  dated  December  2,  1815.  She 
mentions  her  daughters,  Janet  Burgess  and  Elizabeth 
Scott;  granddaughter,  Janet  Martha  Lemira  Burgess; 
son,  John  Scott,  Jr.  Witnesses,  Thomas  Burgess,  Mary 
M.  Patterson,  and  John  McCottry.  Appraisers,  John 
Montgomery,  John  McLaurin,  and  William  McCullough. 

Eliphalet  H.  Hewitt’s  will  is  dated  January  16,  1816. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Mary  Hewitt,  daughter  of  John 
Burrows;  daughter,  Jane  M.  Hewitt;  and  other  children 
are  mentioned  in  the  will  but  not  named.  Executors, 
Mary  Hewitt,  William  J.  Burrows,  James  McElveen,  and 
Hugh  McCutchen.  Witnesses,  Sarah  Burdick,  George 
McConnell,  Sr.,  and  Daniel  H.  Gillespie.  Appraisers, 
James  Gibson  and  Thomas  Burrows. 


230 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


James  Bradley : ’s  will  is  dated  January  1,  1816.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Mary;  son,  Samuel,  to  whom  he  gives 
a  tract  of  land  granted  to  his  father,  Samuel  Bradley; 
daughters,  Mary  Stewart,  Sarah,  Janet  Martha  ;  his  sons, 
William  Wilson,  Robert,  and  James,  to  whom  he  gives 
a  tract  of  land  granted  to  his  grandfather,  James  Brad¬ 
ley.  Witnesses,  Moses  Matthews,  Robert  J.  Wilson,  and 
Mary  S.  Wilson.  Appraisers,  John  Fulton,  Moses  Mat¬ 
thews,  and  George  McConnell. 

John  Fleming’s  will  is  dated  January  20,  1816.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Anne  Fleming;  his  youngest  son, 
Pinckney,  and  refers  to  other  sons  without  naming  them. 
He  refers  to  his  daughters,  Elizabeth  Hamilton  McCul¬ 
lough  and  Jane  Bennet  Snowden.  Executors,  his  sons, 
William,  Thomas,  and  John  McCullough,  and  Alexander 
McCrea.  Witnesses,  James  Fleming  and  James  Daniel. 
Appraisers,  John  Scott,  Jr.,  William  McCullough,  and 
Abner  Brown. 

James  Burgess  dated  his  will  May  27,  1806.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife,  Margaret,  and  “his  sons  and  daughters,” 
not  named.  Executors,  Margaret,  “my  wife  and  my  son, 
John  Burgess.”  Witnesses,  Raphael  Bell,  William  Dol¬ 
lard,  and  J.  B.  Cummings.  Estate  appraised  by  William 
Dollard,  Daniel  Epps,  and  Samuel  R.  Mouzon,  in  June, 
1816. 

James  McConnell  dated  his  will  January  25,  1816.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Mary;  children,  George,  Thomas,  Janet 
Dick,  Mary  McCottry,  Elizabeth  Gotea,  and  Sarah  Mc¬ 
Connell.  He  mentions  also  in  his  will  John  Gotea,  Mat¬ 
thew  Ailing,  Susan  Gibson,  James  McConnell  Dick,  and 
Elender  Gotea.  Executors,  George  and  Thomas  McCon¬ 
nell,  Robert  McCottry,  and  John  Gotea.  Witnesses, 
William  Hiddleston,  Jr.,  John  Lane,  and  Susannah  Gib¬ 
son.  Appraisers,  William  Hiddleston,  Jr.,  John  Gam¬ 
ble,  and  John  Pressley. 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


231 


James  McBride’s  will  is  dated  February  10,  1816.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Elizabeth;  his  son,  John  Dobbin  Mc¬ 
Bride;  his  daughters,  Rebecca  Frances  and  Mary  Ann. 
Executors,  cousin  William  Wilson,  Samuel  McBride, 
Samuel  M.  Witherspoon,  William  Dobbin,  and  John  M. 
Witherspoon.  ?  Witnesses,  Ebenezer  Gibson,  James  M. 
Gowdy,  and  Francis  Gibson. 

Thomas  McCrea,  Jr.,  dated  his  will  February  25,  1816. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Mary;  his  three  children,  Mary 
Ann,  Susannah,  and  Thomas  Armstrong.  Executors, 
wife,  Mary,  Alexander  McCrea,  and  James  McFaddin. 
Witnesses,  James  McFaddin,  Alexander  McCrea,  and 
John  Scott,  Jr.  Appraisers,  John  Scott,  Jr.,  James  Mc- 
Elveen,  and  James  Montgomery. 

William  Campbell’s  will  is  dated  February  27,  1816. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Mary;  son,  William  McKnight 
Campbell.  Executors,  wife,  Mary;  brother,  James,  and 
William  Salters.  Witnesses,  J.  B.  Cummings,  Alexander 
McKnight,  and  James  Graham.  Appraisers,  George  Mc- 
Cutchen,  Alexander  McKnight,  and  Samuel  Scott. 

Moses  Benton’s  will  is  dated  October  15,  1816.  He 
mentions  his  children,  Mary,  Simon,  Ann,  and  Sarah. 
Executors,  his  friends  and  brothers-in-law,  Simon  and 
Isaac  Timmons.  Witnesses,  James  Myers,  Moses  Benton, 
Jr.,  and  William  Timmons.  Appraisers,  Benjamin  Tur¬ 
ner,  William  Turner,  and  John  Coward. 

Abner  Smith’s  will  is  dated  February  1,  1816.  He 
mentions  his  sons,  Abner,  Simon,  James,  and  Pat; 
daughters,  Mollie,  Mary  Ann  Elizabeth  Garland,  and 
Drusila  Nancy  Becky;  and  Mollie,  his  wife.  Executors, 
John  Steele,  Abner  Smith,  Mollie  Smith,  and  William 
Graham.  Witnesses,  William  Graham,  Mary  Taylor 
Graham,  and  Aaron  F.  Graham.  Appraisers,  James  Gra¬ 
ham,  Andrew  Patterson,  Robert  Green,  and  Bryant  Cam- 
brahan. 


232 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


George  McConnell,  Sr.,  dated  his  will  August  6,  1816. 
He  mentions  his  granddaughter,  Jane  M.  Hewitt,  (pro- 
viso — “that  Jane  M.  Hewitt  shall  not  marry  either  Elam 
Cheeseborough  Burdick,  Eliphalet  Herbert  Burdick,  or 
Frederick  Allen  Burdick,  in  which  case,  my  granddaugh¬ 
ter  shall  not  inherit  anything)  ;  sister,  Rachael  McCon¬ 
nell;  nephew,  George  McConnell,  son  of  James  McCon¬ 
nell;  and  nephews,  James,  Robert,  and  Thomas  McCon¬ 
nell;  niece,  Eleanor  Gotea.  Executors,  nephews,  George 
McConnell  and  William  Wilson  and  Rachael  McConnell. 
Witnesses,  Elam  J.  Mills,  John  Matthews,  Sr.,  and  John 
Lane.  Appraisers,  James  Bradley,  W.  P.  McConnell,  and 
Thomas  Burrows. 

Alexander  Glass  dated  his  will  April  15,  1816.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Elizabeth;  children,  not  named;  the 
children  of  my  sister,  Avagale  Wilson,  deceased,  wife  of 
Robert  Wilson,  namely,  Thomas,  Avagale,  and  Margaret 
Wilson.  Executors,  Thomas  Witherspoon,  and  Colonel 
William  Salters.  Witnesses,  Robert  Sutton,  John  Fort, 
and  C.  S.  Osborne.  Appraisers,  Robert  Sutton,  Alexander 
Michau,  and  John  Perdreau. 

Mary  Stretch’s  will  is  dated  October  26,  1808.  She 
mentions  her  grandson,  William  Newman  Murrell;  nieces, 
Elizabeth  Todd,  Agnes  Brown,  and  Mary  Campbell ;  and 
her  nephew,  William  Campbell.  Witnesses,  T.  D.  Single- 
ton,  M.  M.  Singleton,  and  Isaac  Nelson. 

William  Moore’s  will  is  dated  February  16,  1810.  He 
mentions  his  daughter,  Sarah  Lane,  wife  of  Thomas  Lane, 
Sr. ;  grandchildren,  Elizabeth  Lane,  James  Lane,  and 
Sarah  Ann  Lane.  Executors,  Dr.  John  Graham,  Wil¬ 
liam  Dobbin,  Moses  Miller,  Jr.,  and  Stephen  Miller,  Sr. 
Witnesses,  Stephen  Miller  and  Hannah  Miller. 

John  Leger’s  will  is  dated  March  2,  1808.  He  mentions 
his  daughter,  Dorothy  Blakely,  and  children  of  Dorothy 
Blakely,  and  cousin  William  Leger’s  children.  Execu- 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


233 


tors,  Archibald  Campbell  and  Dorothy  Blakely.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  Francis  Leger,  John  David,  and  Jannet  David. 

Robert  Benton’s  will  is  dated  June  13,  1817.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife,  Susannah;  sons,  Elijah,  Moses,  and  John; 
daughters,  Sarah,  Elizabeth,  Rachael,  Vila,  and  Martha. 
Executors,  Elijah  Benton  and  Samuel  Timmons.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  Benjamin  Turner  and  Hugh  Turner. 

Susannah  Mouzon’s  will  is  dated  March  19,  1817.  She 
mentions  her  sons,  Peter,  William,  and  Samuel  R. ; 
daughters,  Sarah  Gamble,  and  Mary  McGill;  three  single 
children,  Ann  Mouzon,  Susannah  V.  Mouzon,  and  Henry 
Mouzon.  Executors,  Samuel  R.  Mouzon,  and  son-in-law, 
James  McGill.  Witnesses,  Caroline  M.  Dollard,  Louisa 
Scott,  and  Samuel  P.  Taylor.  Appraisers,  John  D.  Bur¬ 
gess,  Daniel  D.  Epps,  James  Frierson,  Samuel  E.  Dick, 
and  Daniel  Frierson. 

Jacob  Singletary’s  will  is  dated  October  27,  1817.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Elizabeth.  He  refers  to  his  “bodily 
heirs.”  Executors,  his  wife,  Elizabeth,  and  son,  Joseph 
Sion  Singletary.  Witnesses,  Philip  Snow,  Barnabas  Ard, 
and  William  Ard. 

Catherine  Dickey’s  will  is  dated  November,  1817.  She 
mentions  her  daughter,  Letitia  S.  Durant,  wife  of  John 
H.  Durant;  Catherine  C.  Blanchard,  Sarah  McDonald 
Dickey,  and  Martha  Elvira  Dickey.  Executors,  brother- 
in-law,  Samuel  E.  Dickey.  Witnesses,  Isaac  Nelson,  Wil¬ 
liam  M.  Murrell,  and  William  Nelson.  Appraisers,  James 
G.  McGill,  Robert  Frierson,  and  John  Staggers. 

Samuel  Wilson,  Sr.,  dated  his  will  April  10,  1816. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Mary  Stuart  Wilson;  sons,  James 
Edmund,  Samuel  McClelland,  John  Witherspoon,  Wil¬ 
liam  Calvin,  and  David  Elisha,  and  daughter,  Mary 
Grace.  He  mentions  his  mother-in-law,  Elizabeth  Wither¬ 
spoon.  Executors,  James  E.  and  Samuel  M.  Wilson,  and 
wife’s  brothers,  James  Bradley  and  Robert  Bradley,  and 


234 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Thomas  Witherspoon.  Witnesses,  Samuel  E.  Fulton, 
William  Wilson,  and  Robert  J.  Wilson. 

Gavin  Witherspoon’s  will  is  dated  January  10,  1816. 
He  mentions  the  children  of  his  daughter,  Janet,  and  of 
his  son,  Robert  Pinckney.  His  son,  Samuel,  Thomas 
Reece  and  John  Miller;  and  his  daughters,  Elizabeth  and 
Mary.  Witnesses,  William  Frierson,  Joseph  Wither¬ 
spoon,  and  James  B.  Witherspoon.  Appraisers,  Gavin 
Witherspoon,  William  Salters,  and  Robert  Frierson,  Jr. 

Sarah  Watson’s  will  is  dated  October  19,  1817.  She 
mentions  her  nephew,  John  Watson;  niece,  Sarah  Ann 
Watson;  brother,  John  Watson.  Executors,  John  Wat¬ 
son,  David  P.  Rodgers,  William  Salters,  and  James  M. 
Gowdy. 

Samuel  Nesmith’s  will  is  dated  September  16,  1816. 
He  mentions  his  son,  Samuel;  daughters,  Mary,  Martha, 
and  Sarah.  The  name  of  his  wife  is  not  given.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  L.  Nesmith,  Robert  Nesmith,  and  James  Baker. 
Appraisers,  John  Gamble,  John  Baker,  and  John  Press- 
ley.  His  daughter  Sarah  married  John  Brockinton  and 
was  consequently  bequeathed  but  a  peppercorn  for  her 
portion.  The  John  Nesmith  and  the  William  Brockin¬ 
ton,  who  settled  on  Black  Mingo  in  1725,  were  very  close 
business  and  personal  associates.  Their  descendants  have 
intermarried  so  many  times  since  then  that  it  is  difficult 
to  determine  whether  a  present  Nesmith  is  more  of  a 
Brockinton,  or  a  Brockinton  of  a  Nesmith.  Too,  these 
families  have  always  been  closely  associated  in  business. 
Yet,  every  time  a  marriage  has  further  related  them,  dis¬ 
inheritances  have  resulted.  These  Sabines  have  usually 
been  able  to  reconcile  husband  and  father  in  all  things 
except  statements  in  wills. 

William  McDonald’s  will  is  dated  September  8,  1808. 
He  mentions  his  sons,  William  Nelson,  Thomas  Edwin, 
and  Archibald  Couterier;  his  daughters,  Martha  Harri- 
ette  Grenerager  Davis,  Mary  Esther  Charlotte  McDonald, 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


235 


Susannah  Emily  Ann  McDonald,  Catherine  Laura  Single- 
ton  McDonald,  Eliza  Maria  Cantey  McDonald,  and 
Louisa  Margaret  Augusta  McDonald.  Executors,  son, 
William  Nelson  McDonald;  son-in-law,  John  G.  Davis. 
Witnesses,  Charles  Lesesne,  Thomas  S.  Cantey,  and  Mar¬ 
garet  A.  Lesesne.  Appraisers,  John  Keels,  Jane  Cantey, 
and  Charles  F.  Lesesne. 

John  Kelty’s  will  is  dated  September  18,  1818.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Jean;  son,  James;  grandson,  John,  son 
of  James;  daughters,  Susannah  Michau;  grandson,  Wil¬ 
liam  Dickey.  Executors,  James  Kelty,  William  Dobbin, 
and  Alexander  Michau.  Witnesses,  Jacob  Norton,  Allen 
Norton,  and  Miles  Norton.  Appraisers,  Samuel  Per- 
dreau,  William  Dobbin,  and  John  Perdreau. 

Samuel  Bradshaw’s  will  is  dated  September  16,  1815. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Amelia  ;  and  his  sons,  Asa,  Moses, 
and  Silas,  Witnesses,  Caleb  Stephens  and  Abraham 
Davis.  Appraisers,  Abraham  Martin,  Levi  Barrineau, 
Ebenezer  Martin,  and  Abraham  Connor. 

James  Eaddv’s  will  is  witnessed  September  24,  1819. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Mary;  his  sons,  John,  Edward  D., 
and  Henry;  his  daughters,  Mary  Stone  and  Sarah  Pros¬ 
ser.  Witnesses,  Philip  Stone,  Isaac  Carter,  and  William 
Tilton.  Appraisers,  George  Carter,  John  D.  Singleton, 
and  Ebenezer  Singletarv. 

Mary  Bradley’s  will  is  dated  July  14,  1817.  She  men¬ 
tions  her  sons,  William  Wilson,  James  and  Robert  Brad¬ 
ley;  daughters,  Mary  Stuart  Wilson,  Sarah,  and  Janet 
Martha  Bradley;  granddaughters,  Elizabeth  Westberry 
Bradley  and  Margaret  Elvira  Fulton. 

Solomon  McClam,  Sr.,  dated  his  will  July  2,  1819.  He 
mentions  his  sons,  Daniel,  Solomon,  and  Bryant;  and 
daughters,  Ann  Jane  Smith,  and  Eliza  Singletary.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  Philip  McRae,  James  J.  Douglass,  and  James 
Lacey.  Appraisers,  Robert  Cade,  Andrew  Patterson,  Sr., 
and  Noah  Smith. 


236 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Samuel  Strong’s  will  is  dated  December  24,  1819.  He 
mentions  his  brother,  Robert  Strong,  and  sister,  Eleanor 
Boyd.  Executors,  Robert  Strong,  Hugh  Boyd,  and  John 
Scott,  Jr.  Witnesses,  John  J.  McClary,  A.  Douglass,  and 
Samuel  D.  McClary. 

John  Scott,  Sr.,  dated  his  will  April  29,  1820.  He 
mentions  his  sons  by  his  first  wife,  Joseph,  John  Thomas, 
William  Robert,  Albert  Alexander  McCrea,  and  Samuel 
James  Washington;  his  wife,  Rebecca  Gordon,  and  his 
unborn  child  who  became  John  Ervin  Scott.  Execu¬ 
tors,  Rebecca,  his  wife;  Joseph  Scott,  his  brother;  and 
John  Thomas,  his  son.  Witnesses,  James  McFaddin, 
Mary  M.  Flagler,  and  Samuel  Scott.  Appraisers,  James 
McFaddin,  Samuel  Scott,  and  John  Montgomery. 

Elizabeth  Witherspoon’s  will  is  dated  June  7,  1820. 
She  mentions  her  sons,  Robert,  Thomas,  John  R.  Wither¬ 
spoon;  grandsons,  James  H.  Witherspoon,  James  E. 
Wilson,  and  Robert  P.  Frierson;  granddaughters,  Mary 
A.  Witherspoon  and  Sarah  A.  Frierson;  and  grandsons, 
John  R.  and  George  Witherspoon;  great  grandchildren, 
James  E.  Wilson,  Eliza  A.  Wilson,  Thomas  E.  Wilson, 
and  Robert  M.  Wilson,  children  of  David  Wilson ;  and 
great  grandchildren,  Esther  D.  Witherspoon  and  Lang- 
don  Witherspoon.  She  bequeathed  $50.00  to  the  Bethel 
Congregation. 

Samuel  Snowden’s  will  is  dated  August  25,  1819.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Mary;  sons,  William,  Samuel  Mouzon, 
and  Thomas  James;  daughters,  Elizabeth  Margaret,  Sarah 
R.  Gibson,  Jane  Burrows,  and  Mary  Murphy.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  John  Montgomery,  James  McFaddin,  and  Benja¬ 
min  E.  Gordon. 

Benjamin  Turner’s  will  is  dated  January  3,  1821.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Phoebe;  sons,  Reuben  and  Hugh  and 
four  others,  not  named.  Witnesses,  Solomon  Coward; 
Moses  Buddin,  and  William  Turner.  Appraisers,  Wil- 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


237 


liam  McCallister,  William  Turner,  and  William  Cock- 
field. 

John  Pressley  dated  his  will  May  14,  1821.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife,  Mary  B. ;  sons,  William  J.,  John  B.,  and 
James  F.;  daughters,  Martha  and  Eliza.  Witnesses, 
Thomas  McConnell,  William  S.  Brockinton,  and  Thomas 
Hiddleston.  Appraisers,  Thomas  McConnell,  William  S. 
Brockinton,  and  John  Gotea. 

Jannet  Patterson  dated  her  will  September  18,  1818. 
She  mentions  her  daughters,  Jean  Murphy  and  Jannet 
Wizner;  son-in-law,  Robert  Greene;  grandsons,  Robert  P. 
Greene,  Robert  P.  Wizner,  and  Robert  James  Patterson; 
and  granddaughters,  Margaret  Patterson,  Jane  Hamil¬ 
ton  Patterson,  and  Mary  M.  Flagler.  Executors,  Andrew 
Patterson  and  Samuel  Gaskin. 

Samuel  Haselden’s  will  is  dated  August  1,  1822.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Ann;  sons,  James  and  Samuel  Wyatt; 
daughter,  Violetta  L.  Haselden.  “Two  acres  of  land  I 
give  for  the  use  of  the  church,  whereon  the  Methodist 
Church  now  stands.”  Witnesses,  William  W.  Johnson, 
Samuel  Marsh  and  Thomas  Haselden.  Appraisers,  John 
Murphy,  John  Tharp,  and  Asa  Brown. 

David  McClary  dated  his  will  October  5,  1827.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Mary;  sons,  Samuel  G.  and  William 
D. ;  daughters,  Mary  Elizabeth  Hiddleston,  Sarah  F. 
Wilson,  Margaret  S.  McGill,  and  Louisa  J.  Dollard.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  John  B.  McClary,  Samuel  Fluitt,  and  James  B. 
McGill. 

Archibald  Murphy’s  will  is  dated  September  18,  1827. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Jane;  son,  John;  daughter,  Eliza¬ 
beth,  who  married  Fleming;  daughter,  Janet,  who  mar¬ 
ried  Thorp;  and  Mary  and  Catherine. 

Sarah  Singleton  dated  her  will  April  17,  1829.  She 
mentions  her  brother,  William  Purse,  Sr. ;  son,  Thomas 
D.  Singleton ;  granddaughters,  Esther  Gibson  Singleton, 


238 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Mary  Magdalene  Burgess  Singleton.  Witnesses,  William 
J.  Gamble,  R.  G.  Ferrell,  and  William  Purse. 

James  Ward  dated  bis  will  March  10,  1829.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  daughter,  Eliza,  wife  of  Thomas  Hetchinhan. 
Witnesses,  James  S.  Donnelly,  Robert  James,  Sarah  Ken¬ 
nedy,  and  Archibald  Kennedy. 

John  Singletary  dated  his  will  January  16,  1826.  He 
mentions  his  granddaughter,  Sophronia  Pervis  Single¬ 
tary;  daughter,  Martha  Dickey;  mother,  Sarah  Single¬ 
tary;  wife  not  named.  Executors,  son-in-law,  James 
Dickey,  and  cousin,  Elam  T.  Mills. 

Thomas  McCutclien’s  will  is  dated  December  13,  1822. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Nancy;  sons,  Robert  George,  Joseph 
White,  and  Thomas;  daughter,  Mary  Julina.  Executors, 
wife,  Nancy,  Hugh  McCutchen,  George  McCutchen,  Jr., 
Thomas  Williams,  Jr.,  and  George  W.  Cooper.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  Alexander  McKnight,  William  Cooper,  and  George 
Gotea  Cooper. 

Robert  Frierson’s  will  is  dated  July  31,  1827.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Hesther;  grandson,  Samuel  Flavale 
Wilson;  nephew,  Daniel  Frierson;  brothers,  William  and 
Samuel;  sister,  Jane  Smith.  He  bequeaths  to  the  Bethel 
Congregation  $100.00. 

Hugh  Paisley  dated  his  will  August  5,  1827.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife,  Janet;  son,  William;  daughters,  Sarah  G., 
Elizabeth,  and  Susannah. 

Daniel  Epps  dated  his  will  May  28,  1826.  He  mentions 
his  wife,  Martha;  sons,  Edward,  Daniel,  James,  Peter, 
John,  David,  and  Robert.  He  did  not  name  his  daugh¬ 
ters,  but  made  a  bequest  “to  each  of  my  daughters.” 

Nancy  McCottry  dated  her  will  March  20,  1826.  She 
mentions  her  daughter,  Nancy  McCutchen;  son-in-law, 
George  McCutchen;  granddaughter,  Elizabeth  W.  Mc¬ 
Cutchen;  grandson,  George  W.  Cooper.  She  gives  the 
Indiantown  Congregation  $20.00.  Witnesses,  D.  D.  Wil¬ 
son,  William  Cooper,  and  William  E.  James. 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


239 


Elizabeth  Graham  dated  her  will  October  18,  1826.  She 
mentions  her  son,  John;  and  daughter,  Mary  Ferrell. 
She  named  Mary  Frierson’s  children,  Mary  S.  Frierson, 
Robert  G.,  Benjamin  T.,  and  William  Ferrell ;  and 
Catherine  L.  Blakely. 

Isaac  Keels,  Sr.,  dated  his  will  July  2,  1821.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife,  Susannah;  sons,  Samuel  John,  Isaac,  and 
George  W. ;  daughter,  Catherine  Gamble ;  grandchildren, 
John  Isaac  James  and  Peter  R.  Keels.  Executors,  wife, 
Susannah;  son,  Samuel  John;  Morgan  Sabb,  and  Wil¬ 
liam  Salters.  Witnesses,  Morgan  Sabb,  Joseph  Holding, 
and  P.  M.  Oliver. 

John  Montgomery  dated  his  will  October  9,  1824.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Jane;  his  brothers,  Isaac,  William, 
James,  Samuel  S.,  and  Henry;  his  sisters,  Rachael  Ma- 
cauley,  and  her  two  daughters,  Amarynthia  Macauley  and 
Mary  Jane  Plowden.  Witnessed  by  Isaac  Bagnall,  John 
B.  Bagnall,  Henry  James,  and  Samuel  Montgomery. 

Robert  Cade  dated  his  will  March  2,  1823.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife,  Violet;  sons,  John,  Charles,  Andrew,  Eras¬ 
mus,  and  Felix  Brown;  daughters,  Jane,  Agnes,  Eliza¬ 
beth,  and  Adeline.  Witnesses,  James  Fulmore,  Violet 
Cade,  and  Jannet  C.  Cade. 

Robert  Lowry  dated  his  will  July  1,  1825.  He  mentions 
his  nephew,  Robert  Lowry,  in  Statesville,  N.  C.,  and  his 
brother,  Joseph,  in  Ireland;  John  Lowry,  studying  medi¬ 
cine  under  Dr.  Dollard;  and  Sarah  Douglass,  Elizabeth 
Douglass,  and  Isaac  Matthew  Douglass;  children  of  his 
brother,  David  Lowry;  and  of  his  brother,  William 
Lowry;  and  of  his  brother,  Samuel,  who  lived  in  Sumter. 
He  also  mentions  his  sister,  Elizabeth,  wife  of  Joseph 
Caswell,  and  their  two  sons,  John  and  Samuel  Caswell, 
who  lived  in  Ireland. 

William  McConnell  dated  his  will  January  23,  1829. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Margaret;  the  following  children 
by  his  first  wife:  sons,  William  Gibson  and  Robert 


240 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Franklin ;  daughters,  Mary  Bradley,  Ann  Elizabeth,  and 
Frances  Jane.  Witnesses,  Charles  Barrineau,  Francis 
Gowdy,  and  Janies  Gowdy. 

Thomas  McCrea  dated  his  will  January  23,  1832.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Esther ;  daughters,  Sarah,  Mary 
Cooper,  Catherine  DuBose  McDowell,  Esther  L.  Wither¬ 
spoon,  and  Mary  E.  White.  Witnesses,  William  S. 
Brockinton,  William  Burrows,  and  James  Gamble.  Ap¬ 
praisers,  James  McFaddin,  George  McCutchen,  and  Al¬ 
exander  Cunningham. 

William  Hiddleston  dated  his  will  March  7,  1834.  He 
mentions  his  son,  John  Hiddleston,  and  his  grandsons, 
John  and  William  Hiddleston;  his  daughter,  Margaret 
Nesmith,  wife  of  Samuel,  who  first  married  Gibson. 

James  Folly  dated  his  will  June  12,  1835.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  son  James  Lafayette  Folly;  and  daughter, 
Margaret  Ann  Folly.  Witnesses,  William  Turner,  Robert 
Spring,  and  James  Carraway. 

John  McClary  dated  his  will  January  12,  1831.  He 
mentions  his  sons,  John  J.  McClary,  and  his  children, 
Mary,  James,  John  Calvin,  Alexander,  David  Manton, 
and  George  Frierson ;  and  his  daughter,  Mary  F.  Duke, 
wife  of  Thomas;  the  children  of  said  Mary,  David  Mc¬ 
Clary,  Sarah  Thermutas,  and  Mary  Eleanor;  his  son, 
Samuel  Blackwood,  and  the  children  of  the  said  Samuel, 
Margaret  H.,  John  Milton,  Hannah  R.,  Sarah  Black¬ 
wood  McClary ;  and  his  son,  David  Sidney  McClary.  Wit¬ 
nesses,  John  J.  Tisdale,  Samuel  Tisdale,  and  William  Tis¬ 
dale.  Appraisers,  H.  D.  Shaw,  P.  G.  Gourdin,  and  Robert 
Strong. 

Jane  Wilson  dated  her  will  May  30,  1828.  She  mentions 
her  son,  David  D.  Wilson;  her  grandsons,  Robert  Harvey, 
David  Edward,  and  John  Calvin;  her  granddaughters, 
Jane  Isabella,  Sarah  Elmira,  and  Mary  Louisa;  her  step¬ 
daughter,  Mary  Greene.  Witnesses,  John  Gordon,  Wil¬ 
liam  Hiddleston,  and  James  H.  McElveen. 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


241 


Daniel  McKenzie  dated  his  will  August  22,  1815.  He 
mentions  his  sons,  William,  Samuel,  Peter,  and  John; 
his  daughters,  Nancy  and  Mary.  Executors,  Thomas 
Rose  and  William  Kennedy.  Witnesses,  Thomas  Ken¬ 
nedy,  Ann  Kennedy,  and  David  Muldrow. 

William  J.  Pressley  dated  his  will  September  17,  1830. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Elizabeth;  daughter,  Sarah,  and 
one  other  child,  not  named.  Executors,  his  uncle,  Wil¬ 
liam  S.  Brockinton,  his  brothers,  John  B.  Pressley  and 
James  F.  Pressley. 

William  Frierson,  Jr.,  dated  his  will  September  9,  1830. 
He  mentions  his  grandson,  William  Frierson  Rodgers; 
brother,  Samuel  Frierson,  in  Alabama;  his  nieces  and 
nephews,  Susannah  Chandler,  John  H.  Smith,  Martha 
Kennedy,  Rebecca  McElveen,  James  Frierson,  and  Daniel 
Frierson;  and  his  brothers,  Joshua  and  George,  in  the 
State  of  Tennessee.  Executors,  Henry  D.  Shaw,  William 
Lifrage,  Jr.,  and  Joseph  Chandler.  Witnesses,  Henry  J. 
Smith,  Hampton  Draughn,  and  W.  C.  Reardon. 

Jane  Murphy  dated  her  will  January  3,  1831.  She 
mentions  her  son,  John  Murphy;  daughters,  Jannet,  Mary, 
and  Elizabeth.  Her  grandsons,  Andrew  James,  John, 
James  Calvin  Murphy.  Her  granddaughters,  Sarah  Jane 
and  Mary  Catherine  Murphy;  and  her  grandchildren, 
Hesther  Jane  and  Henry  Singletary. 

George  McConnell  dated  his  will  April  13,  1832.  He 
mentions  his  sons,  William  Scott,  and  Thomas  James; 
his  daughters,  Catherine  Ann,  Mary  Rachael,  Sarah 
Elizabeth,  and  Margaret  Eleanor. 

Sarah  Graham  dated  her  will  June  13,  1834.  She 
mentions  her  husband,  John  Graham;  son,  John  Graham; 
her  nieces,  Sarah  McConnell,  Mary  McCutchen,  Elizabeth 
Gotea,  and  Jannet  P.  Duke. 

William  S.  Brockinton  dated  his  will  September  7, 
1832.  He  mentions  his  wife,  Louisa;  his  children,  John 
Fowler,  William  Robinson,  Janies  Screven,  Burrows 


242 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Pressley,  Caroline  Matilda,  and  Martha  Ann;  brother, 
John. 

Thomas  D.  Singleton,  Sr.,  dated  his  will  May  11,  1826. 
He  mentions  his  wife,  Mary  Magdalene;  sons,  Thomas 
Day  and  Henry  B. ;  daughters,  Esther,  Mary,  and  Susan¬ 
nah  Elizabeth  Gourdin,  wife  of  Peter  G.  Gonrdin.  He 
requested  to  be  buried  in  the  family  burying  ground  on 
Santee,  along  side  the  remains  of  his  father-in-law,  Henry 
Blanchard. 

John  Watson  dated  his  will  June  10,  1821.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife,  Mary  F. ;  son,  John;  and  daughter,  Sarah 
Ann. 

John  Belin’s  will  is  dated  June  18,  1821.  He  mentions 
his  brothers,  James  F.  and  Cleland  Belin ;  his  sister,  Mary 
Gamble;  his  niece,  Esther  J.  McDpnald.  Witnesses  to 
this  will,  William  S.  Brockinton,  Mary  B.  Pressley,  and 
Martha  Brockinton. 

James  McConnell  dated  his  will  January  25,  1816.  In 
the  beginning  of  this  will,  he  speaks  of  his  wife,  Mary. 
Later  in  the  will,  it  is  written  “my  wife,  Sarah.”  He 
mentions  his  sons,  George  and  Thomas;  and  his  daugh¬ 
ters,  Jannet  Dick,  Mary  McCottry,  and  Elizabeth  Gotea. 

Robert  Strong  dated  his  will  May  13,  1821.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife  (second)  Sarah;  his  sons,  Robert,  William, 
and  James;  and  his  daughter,  Amea  Byrd,  children  by 
his  second  wife. 

Martin  Staggers  dated  his  will  October  10,  1822.  He 
mentions  his  three  brothers,  William,  John,  and  George. 
Witnesses,  William  Salters,  Thomas  D.  Singleton,  Jr., 
and  William  Dollard. 

Martha  Brockinton’s  will  is  dated  April  3,  1822.  She 
mentions  her  sons,  John  and  William  S. ;  daughter,  Mary 
B.  Pressley;  grandson,  William  Burrows. 

William  Graham’s  will  is  dated  June  14,  1821.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Susannah;  daughter,  Mary  Turner, 
wife  of  William  Frierson;  Jannet  M.,  Susannah,  and 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


243 


Sarah;  his  sons,  Aaron  Frierson,  Samuel  E.,  William  J., 
John  F.,  Daniel  B.,  Charles  N.,  and  Alexander  J.  W. 

John  Montgomery  dated  his  will  July  7,  1821.  He 
does  not  name  his  wife  nor  his  three  daughters  but  his 
two  sons,  John  Milton  and  William  Rue. 

James  McDaniel  dated  his  will  September  19,  1810.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Catherine ;  his  daughters,  Honour  Bow, 
Catherine,  Mary,  Elizabeth,  and  Isabella,  wife  of  Thomas 
B.  Abrams;  sons,  James,  Enos,  Randol;  son-in-law,  Tho¬ 
mas  B.  Abrams;  grandson,  William  James  Cooper.  Ex¬ 
ecutors,  wife,  Catherine;  and  son,  Enos.  Witnesses, 
Hugh  McCutchen,  Samuel  James,  and  Robert  W.  James. 

Rachael  McConnell  dated  her  will  April  1,  1824.  She 
mentions  her  nieces,  Eleanor  Douglass,  Sarah  McCon¬ 
nell,  Jane  M.  Miller,  Catherine  Gordon,  Rachael  Connor; 
and  John  H.  McConnell,  her  nephew.  Executors,  ne¬ 
phews,  George  McConnell,  son  of  James,  and  John  Miller. 
Witnesses,  Henry  Miller  and  John  G.  Hewitt.  Apprais¬ 
ers,  Stephen  Miller,  William  Morris,  and  Thomas  Steele. 

Elizabeth  Wilson’s  will  is  dated  January  19,  1822.  She 
mentions  her  sons,  John  Wilson,  David  Wilson,  Samuel 
J.  Wilson,  and  Robert  Wilson,  in  Louisiana;  daughter, 
Elizabeth  James,  and  her  husband,  John  James;  grand¬ 
children,  Elizabeth  M.  Wilson,  Martha  Wilson,  Robert  D. 
Wilson,  children  of  John,  by  his  former  wife,  Jane. 
Executors,  David  and  Samuel  J.  Wilson.  Witnesses, 
Samuel  McGill  and  Samuel  James. 

John  James  dated  his  will  June  16,  1824.  He  mentions 
his  wife,  Elizabeth,  (books  formerly  of  her  father,  Robert 
Wilson.)  ;  sons,  William  E.,  Robert  W.,  John  T. ;  daugh¬ 
ters,  Mary  E.,  who  married  Greene;  E.  Lavinia,  and 
Sarah  Ann  James;  grandson,  John  L.  Wilson,  son  of 
William;  and  granddaughter,  Mary  L.  Wilson.  He  gives 
to  his  sister,  among  other  things,  a  tract  of  nine  hundred 
acres  granted  to  Henry  Perineau,  dated  April  28,  1732, 
at  Indiantown.  Executors,  wife  and  three  sons,  Robert 


244 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


W.,  John  T.,  and  William  E.  James,  and  brothers-in-law, 
David  and  S.  J.  Wilson.  Witnesses,  Samuel  James,  Mary 
Ann  McGill,  and  Elizabeth  A.  McGill.  Appraisers,  Ben¬ 
jamin  Britton,  George  Barr,  Samuel  McGill,  Thomas 
McDaniel,  and  William  Cooper. 

Robert  Sutton’s  will  is  dated  October  6,  1824.  He 
mentions  his  daughters,  Elizabeth,  Ann,  Margaret,  Doro¬ 
thy,  Magdalene;  and  son  Robert  Edward  Glenn;  his 
wife,  Mary;  and  Sarah  Tamplet.  Executors,  wife,  Mary, 
and  Dr.  William  J.  Buford.  Witnesses,  John  Perdreau, 
Peter  Michau,  Jr.,  and  John  Lequeux.  Appraisers,  Isaac 
Barrineau,  Samuel  Guilds,  John  Perdreau,  and  Francis 
W.  Perrett. 

James  Gibson’s  will  is  dated  June  16,  1825.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  daughters,  Jannet  Greene,  Margaret  Cameron, 
Martha  Gibson,  and  Mary  Fluitt;  sons- in-law,  George 
Greene,  Henry  Cameron,  and  Samuel  Fluitt  ;  and  grand¬ 
son,  Robert  James  Patterson.  Executors,  Samuel  Fluitt 
and  James  Gamble.  Witnesses,  A.  J.  McGinnis,  Benja¬ 
min  Blanchard,  and  Charles  Lesesne. 

William  Johnson’s  will  is  dated  October  3,  1823.  He 
mentions  his  wife,  Celia;  children  and  grandchildren, 
not  named.  Executor,  Francis  Johnson,  son.  Witnesses, 
Dotson  Stone,  John  Frost,  and  David  D.  Dawsey.  Ap¬ 
praisers,  John  Barr,  Austin  Stone,  and  Samuel  W. 
Haselden. 

Ann  Perrett’s  will  is  not  dated.  She  mentions  her 
granddaughters,  Ann  Budden  and  Martha  McColl ; 
grandsons,  John  Lequeux,  James  Budden,  and  Solomon 
Budden.  Executor,  Peter  E.  Perrett,  friend.  Witnesses, 
Benjamin  Whitfield,  Elizabeth  Frances  and  Sarah  Bar¬ 
rineau.  Appraisers,  William  Lifrage,  Jr.,  Samuel  Guild, 
and  James  Ward. 

James  Campbell’s  will  is  dated  March  4,  1825.  He 
mentions  the  following  beneficiaries,  Susannah  Covert, 
Laura  Covert,  and  Isaac  Nelson;  nephew,  William  Camp- 


OLD  WILLS  AND  NOTES  ON  THEM 


245 


bell;  sister,  Agnes  Brown,  Elizabeth  Todd,  and  Mary 
Campbell.  Executors,  William  Salters,  Isaac  Nelson,  and 
S.  Covert.  Witnesses,  T.  D.  Singleton,  Morgan  Sabb, 
and  P.  M.  Oliver.  Appraisers,  Morgan  Sabb,  Robert 
Frierson,  Sr.,  and  James  G.  McGill. 

Lemuel  Nesmith  dated  his  will  August  29,  1820.  He 
mentions  his  brother,  Robert  Nesmith,  and  his  children. 
Executor,  Robert  Nesmith.  Witnesses,  John  Baker,  Wil¬ 
liam  North,  and  John  Pressley. 

George  McCutchen,  Sr.,  dated  his  will  July  1,  1826. 
He  mentions  his  sons,  Hugh,  George,  and  William; 
daughter,  Jannet  Barr;  and  grandchildren,  Robert 
George,  Joseph  White,  Mary  Julina,  and  Thomas  Mc¬ 
Cutchen.  Executors,  Hugh  and  George  McCutchen  and 
George  Barr.  Witnesses,  John  S.  Dick,  Jannet  B.  Dick, 
and  Thomas  S.  Thomson.  Appraisers,  Alexander  McCrea, 
James  McFaddin,  and  Samuel  Scott. 

Elizabeth  James  dated  her  will  July  10,  1820.  She 
mentions  her  daughters,  Sarah  Ann  James,  Mary  E. 
Greene,  and  Elizabeth  L.  James;  sons,  Robert  W.,  Wil¬ 
liam  E.,  and  John  T.  Executors,  John  T.  and  William 
E.  James,  and  son-in-law,  Samuel  Greene.  Witnesses, 
J.  M.  Witherspoon,  W.  Lifrage,  Jr.,  and  Samuel  James. 

Joanna  Ferdon’s  will  is  dated  February  14,  1820.  She 
mentions  her  daughter,  Mary  Ann  Blackwell;  sons,  Tho¬ 
mas  B.  Hamlin,  John  P.  Ferdon,  and  William  Ferdon; 
grandsons,  John  William  Ferdon  Gamble  and  John  Fer¬ 
don  Nesmith;  and  daughter,  Maria  A.  Nesmith.  Execu¬ 
tors,  Samuel  Nesmith,  John  P.  Ferdon,  and  William 
Ferdon.  Witnesses,  J.  Dozier,  R.  R.  Gamble,  and  Leonard 
Dozier. 

Mary  Parsons  dated  her  will  November  3,  1825.  She 
mentions  as  her  beneficiaries:  nephew,  David  Parsons, 
Jr.;  and  Joseph  Parsons,  nephew;  brothers,  David  Par. 
sons,  Sr.,  and  Solomon  Parsons;  niece,  Mary  McDonald; 
children  of  her  sister,  Isabella  McDonald,  deceased,  viz. : 


246 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


James  McDonald,  Enos  McDonald,  Randal  McDonald, 
Isabella  Abrams,  and  Elizabeth  Eaddy;  children  of  bro¬ 
ther,  William  Parsons,  viz. :  Elizabeth  Powell,  Josiah 
Parsons,  and  Ann  Parsons.  Executors,  David  Parsons, 
Sr.,  and  Jr.,  and  witnesses,  John  Gotea,  George  Gibson, 
and  Thomas  McCants. 

James  Blake  dated  his  will  October  11,  1826.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  wife,  Mary;  and  his  daughters,  Margaret  Ann 
Norton,  Sarah  Bates,  and  Jane  Blake;  and  his  son,  John 
Blake.  Executors,  Miles  Norton  and  William  N.  Dicker- 
son.  Witnesses,  Joseph  Dickerson,  Tobias  Bates,  and 
Margaret  Norton.  Appraisers,  John  Mims,  William 
Craps,  and  Jobe  Driggers. 

Samuel  Eaddy ’s  will  is  dated  January  28,  1827.  He 
mentions  his  daughter,  Jenny  Eaddy;  son,  James  A. 
Eaddy’ s  children:  Margaret  D.,  Elizabeth  M.,  Samuel 
J.,  and  Frances  Eaddy;  son,  James  A.  Eaddy.  Executor, 
son,  J.  A.  Eaddy.  Witnesses,  Philip  Stone,  James  H. 
Stone,  and  Jacob  Singletary. 

Gavin  James  dated  his  will  October  2,  1816.  He  men¬ 
tions  his  nephew,  William;  nieces,  Mary  Wilson,  Jannet 
Scott,  and  Mary  Ann  McGill,  wife  of  Samuel ;  grandnieces 
and  nephews,  not  named.  Executors,  John  McGill  and 
Alexander  McCrea.  Witnesses,  Samuel  Scott,  D.  D. 
Wilson,  and  William  Cooper. 


CHAPTER  XX. 


ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE,  1783-1830. 

The  original  settlers  of  Williamsburg  Township  did  all 
the  pioneer  work  with  their  own  hands.  The  first  Afri¬ 
can  slave  in  the  Township  was  a  negro  “fellow”  named 
Dick,  imported  by  Roger  Gordon  in  1736.  From  that 
time  the  men  of  the  Township  began  to  buy  a  few  slaves. 
During  the  Revolution,  there  were  more  negro  slaves 
than  whites  in  the  Township.  No  herdsman  or  planter 
owned  very  many,  yet  every  one  owned  a  few.  A  great 
many  of  these  slaves  escaped  or  were  taken  away  by  the 
British  during  the  War,  yet  a  large  majority  remained 
loyal  to  their  masters  and  refused  to  leave  their  planta¬ 
tions. 

Many  of  the  French  Huguenots  on  the  Santee  and  the 
English  and  Scotch  on  Black  Mingo  had  a  considerable 
number  of  negro  slaves.  These  Africans,  at  this  time, 
were  useful  only  for  the  cultivation  of  the  soil ;  and  until 
the  production  of  cotton  and  tobacco  assumed  consider¬ 
able  proportions,  emancipation  was  seriously  considered 
and  contemplated.  There  was  an  unwritten  as  well  as 
a  written  law  in  the  State  that  slaves  should  not  be 
taught  mechanic  trades.  This  was  later  annulled  by  com¬ 
mon  consent. 

In  1790,  Theodore  Gourdin  was  the  largest  slave  owner 
in  Williamsburg.  He  had  one  hundred  fifty  slaves  of 
his  own,  and  thirteen  belonging  to  the  estate  of  John 
James.  Stephen  Ford  owned  ninety-eight;  Moses  Mur¬ 
phy,  eighty-seven;  John  Baxter,  eightv-three;  Anthony 
White,  seventy-three;  William  Goddard,  seventy;  Ben¬ 
jamin  Porter,  sixty-seven;  Allen  McKniglit,  fifty-eight; 
Susannah  McCrea,  fifty-two;  Hugh  Montgomery,  fifty-two. 
None  of  these,  except  Mrs.  McCrea  and  Mr.  Montgomery, 
lived  within  the  Township;  and  their  plantations  were 


248 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


in  the  extreme  northeastern  corner  near  the  rice  plant¬ 
ing  district  in  Williamsburg. 

In  1790,  there  were  eighty  men  in  Williamsburg  who 
owned  more  than  twenty  slaves.  These  men  rapidly  in¬ 
creased  the  number  of  their  slaves;  and  most  of  them, 
within  the  next  thirty  years,  became  wealthy  planters. 

James  Snow  did  not  own  any  slaves,  but  he  had  seventy- 
seven  free  persons  on  his  plantation.  The  term  “free 
persons”  then  included  those  bound  for  a  term  of  years 
to  service.  Mr.  Snow  was  a  man  of  considerable  wealth. 
He  sold  his  slaves  and  experimented  with  indentured 
labor.  In  so  doing,  he  lost  much  of  his  property  and  was 
not  regarded  with  favor  by  the  community. 

Theodore  Gourdin  was  probably  the  wealthiest  man  in 
Williamsburg  prior  to  1830.  It  is  said  that  at  one  time 
he  could  walk  from  Lower  Saint  Mark’s  Church  on  the 
Clarendon-Williamsburg  line  to  the  town  clock  in  George¬ 
town,  a  distance  of  about  seventy-five  miles,  without 
stepping  off  his  own  land.  Mr.  Gourdin  was  a  useful, 
public  spirited  citizen.  He  served  the  district  and  the 
State  in  many  capacities.  He  was  a  man  of  culture  and 
owned  a  large  library. 

Colonel  John  Baxter  was  one  of  the  heroes  of  the  War 
of  the  Revolution.  He  was  a  man  of  liberal  learning  and 
a  successful  planter.  He  owned  land  all  over  Williams¬ 
burg  and  Georgetown  Districts. 

Colonel  Anthony  White  lived  in  the  Indiantown  sec¬ 
tion.  He  was  an  enthusiastic  churchman  as  well  as  a 
successful  planter.  He  was  Colonel  of  the  Williamsburg- 
Georgetown  regiment  of  militia  and  sheriff  of  the  dis¬ 
trict  in  1798. 

William  Goddard  lived  in  the  northeastern  section  of 
the  County.  His  name  died  out  in  this  County  nearly 
a  century  ago,  but  he  left  a  large  number  of  descendants 
among  the  Britton,  Nesmith,  and  other  clans  in  the 
County. 


ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE,  1783-1830  249 


Allen  Me  Knight  lived  near  Indiantown.  His  clan  name 
still  lives  in  Williamsburg  and  he  has  a  number  of  de* 
scendants  of  other  names  who  are  now  prominent. 

Susannah  McCrea  was  the  widow  of  Alexander  Mc- 
Crea.  Her  husband’s  estate  had  been  divided  at  this  time 
and  her  several  sons  and  daughters  had  already  received 
their  share  of  the  slaves.  Her  son,  Thomas  McCrea,  Jr., 
soldier  in  the  Revolution  under  Marion,  became  one  of 
the  largest  landowners  and  planters  in  the  district. 
When  one  begins  to  abstract  titles  to  land  in  Williams¬ 
burg  County,  he  will  probably  think  that  Thomas  Mc¬ 
Crea,  Jr.,  must  have  inherited  an  enormous  quantity  of 
land  and  purchased  all  that  was  offered  for  sale  in  his 
day. 

Stephen  Ford  lived  near  the  Georgetown  line  and 
finally  moved  to  the  town.  A  large  number  of  his  de¬ 
scendants  live  now  in  Georgetown. 

Moses  Murphy  lived  in  the  Indiantown  section.  He 
has  hundreds  of  descendants  now  living  in  Williams¬ 
burg  County. 

Benjamin  Porter  lived  on  Black  River,  south  of  the 
Black  Mingo.  Hugh  Montgomery’s  plantation  was  a  part 
of  that  now  owned  by  the  heirs  of  W.  J.  B.  Cooper. 

In  1800,  the  Williamsburg  District  was  almost  entirely 
an  agricultural  and  a  cattle  raising  section.  The  people 
had  just  begun  to  cultivate  cotton  and  tobacco  in  con* 
siderable  quantities.  But  few  slaves  had  been  required 
for  the  production  of  indigo  and  for  the  herding  of 
cattle.  They  were  necessary  to  cultivate  cotton  and 
tobacco.  From  the  beginning  of  the  production  of  these 
two  commodities  on  a  large  scale,  the  value  of  slaves  in 
Williamsburg  increased  rapidly  and  the  planters  began 
to  import  as  many  as  they  could  purchase. 

There  were  several  tobacco  warehouses  in  the  State 
where  this  product  was  inspected.  Williamsburg  sold 
most  of  its  tobacco  in  Charleston  and  in  Georgetown.  The 


250 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


planter  in  Williamsburg  packed  about  twelve  hundred 
pounds  in  a  strong  hogshead,  through  which  hogshead 
he  ran  an  axle,  placing  two  wheels  and  a  pair  of  shafts. 
Between  these  shafts  he  hitched  a  mule,  and  this  hogs¬ 
head  was  rolled  to  Charleston  over  Murray’s  Ferry  or  to 
Georgetown  over  Brown’s  Ferry.  This  tobacco  was  a 
heavy  variety,  somewhat  resembling  burley,  produced  at 
the  present  time  in  Kentucky.  It  was  cured  in  the  sun. 
It  averaged  about  seven  cents  per  pound.  Sometimes, 
however,  the  price  was  much  greater.  In  1823,  it  sold  for 
forty  cents  per  pound. 

Nearly  all  of  the  planters  in  Williamsburg  purchased 
their  supplies  from  Georgetown  during  this  period.  Some 
of  them,  however,  did  their  business  in  Charleston.  It 
was  their  custom  to  send  their  cotton  and  tobacco  to 
factors  in  these  two  cities  and  draw  drafts  on  these 
factors  for  whatever  money  they  needed,  and  to  give 
orders  to  merchants  for  what  they  desired.  Settlements 
were  made  with  these  factors  and  merchants  once  a  year. 
If  the  planter  did  not  feel  disposed  to  make  a  settlement 
once  a  year,  his  factor  and  his  merchants  allowed  him  to 
carry  over  his  account  until  the  following  year.  At  this 
time,  nobody  in  Williamsburg  even  considered  paying 
accounts  oftener  than  annually,  and  this  custom  was 
almost  binding  for  a  century.  It  resulted  in  serious  con¬ 
sequences  to  the  commercial  interest  of  Williamsburg  and 
its  hang-over  influence,  even  unto  this  day,  is  a  disturb¬ 
ing  factor. 

In  Kingstree,  there  were  few  establishments  called 
stores.  Patrick  Cormick,  William  Bracey,  Samuel  Fluitt, 
and  Thomas  Rodgers  owned  these  places.  These  mer¬ 
chants  carried  lines  of  hunter’s  supplies,  which  consisted 
largely  of  rifles,  powder,  shot,  and  knives.  All  of  them 
had  large  stocks  of  whiskey.  In  fact,  this  whiskey  was 
their  principal  excuse  for  being.  Kingstree  was  hardly 
a  village  at  that  time.  Nearly  every  plantation  in  the 


ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE,  1783-1830  251 


district  had  about  its  mansion  house  more  buildings  than 
in  1810  could  be  found  within  the  territory  now  making 
up  the  corporate  limits  of  Kingstree.  In  1810,  Kings- 
tree  was  made  a  postoffice.  Very  few  pieces  of  mail  came 
through  the  office  for  many  years.  One  of  the  first  of 
these  was  a  letter  from  William  Gordon  Flagler,  who 
was  attending  school  in  Concord,  N.  C.,  to  his  parents, 
Captain  William  and  Mrs.  Margaret  Gregg  Flagler.  This 
letter  is  now  in  the  possession  of  the  grandson  of  this 
student,  Alonzo  W.  Flagler,  a  venerable  citizen  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg. 

There  are  now  three  buildings  standing  in  Kingstree 
that  were  erected  prior  to  1830,  the  Court  House,  the 
Nelson  house,  and  a  part  of  the  Harper  home.  In  1820, 
Joseph  Scott  and  William  Reed  established  a  sawmill  on 
“The  Branch”  in  the  northeastern  part  of  the  present 
limits  of  the  town  of  Kingstree.  This  was  the  first  saw¬ 
mill  established  in  Williamsburg.  Up  to  that  time  all 
lumber  had  been  made  by  whip  saw,  worked  by  man 
power.  This  sawmill  furnished  most  of  the  lumber  from 
which  the  reunited  Congregation  of  Williamsburg  built 
its  meeting  house  in  1828.  Some,  however,  came  from 
the  Bethel  Meeting  House,  which  was  torn  down  when 
the  congregation  “turned  again  home.” 

Later,  Joseph  Scott  established  a  steam  sawmill  on  his 
wife’s  plantation  on  Finley  Bay,  where  was  used  the 
first  steam  engine  brought  into  Williamsburg  District. 
The  whistle  was  a  most  important  part  on  the  steam  en¬ 
gines  of  that  day.  It  is  said  that  for  years  when  Joseph 
Scott’s  whistle  bleAv  on  Finley  Bay,  all  Williamsburg, 
man  and  beast,  stood  at  attention.  Planters  for  miles 
around  abandoned  their  noon  day  horns  and  gongs,  for 
when  this  steam  whistle  sounded,  it  was  twelve  o’clock 
in  all  the  land. 

Willtown,  on  Black  Mingo,  was  the  first  village  settle¬ 
ment  in  ancient  Williamsburg.  It  had  a  beautiful  loca- 


252 


HISTOKY  OF  WILLIAMSBUKG 


tion  in  a  rich  and  prosperous  section  and  an  excellent 
water  way  to  the  sea.  Janies  Fowler,  a  rich  merchant 
in  Charleston  and  a  rice  planter  on  Black  Mingo,  estab* 
lished  a  trading  post  at  Willtown  in  1750.  He  exchanged 
tape  and  buttons  and  rum  and  molasses  for  the  cow  hides, 
deer  skins,  and  tobacco  the  people  of  Williamsburg 
brought.  About  that  same  time,  Dr.  John  Augustus 
Fincke  settled  at  Willtown  and  began  the  practice  of 
“physic.”  He  established  an  inn  and  was  as  celebrated 
as  “Mine  Host”  as  a  healer  of  diseases.  He  practised 
medicine  for  everybody  within  a  radius  of  thirty  miles 
of  Willtown.  Men  came  from  a  greater  range  than  this 
to  refresh  themselves  at  his  “Barr  and  Board.”  From 
Dr.  Fincke’s  old  account  books  and  the  inventory  made 
of  his  estate  after  his  death  in  1766,  one  may  know  the 
names  of  nearly  every  man  in  that  country, — when  he 
elected  to  “celebrate”  a  week,  and  when  his  babies  came. 

Willtown  reached  its  zenith  about  1800,  even  though 
a  commercial  traveller  from  Europe  then  described  it 
as  “a  miserable  hamlet  with  about  thirty  houses  and 
eight  stores.”  Among  the  merchants  at  Willtown  at  that 
time  were:  James  Zuill,  Thomas  McConnell,  John  Ma¬ 
son,  Hugh  Paisley,  John  King,  and  Captain  John  Brock- 
inton.  These  merchants  had  large  storehouses,  and  lines 
of  sloops,  flat  boats,  and  pettiaguas  running  to  George¬ 
town,  from  which  place  their  own  schooners  carried  the 
country  produce  they  had  collected  at  Willtown  to 
Europe  and  brought  back  manufactured  supplies.  One 
might  purchase  from  these  merchants  at  Willtown  almost 
any  article  he  could  find  even  in  metropolitan  markets. 

The  first  postoffice  established  in  Williamsburg  Dis¬ 
trict  was  at  Willtown.  Willtown  lay  on  the  post  route 
which  Benjamin  Franklin  established  from  Savannah, 
Ga.,  to  Wicasset,  Maine.  Since  Willtown  was  on  this 
post  route  from  North  to  South,  was  a  stopping  place 
for  travellers  in  those  days,  and  since  there  were  many 


ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE,  1783-1830  253 


wealthy  cultured  people  living  in  the  community,  it  be¬ 
came  one  of  the  best  known  points  in  South  Carolina. 
Patrick  Dollard  had  an  inn  there.  He  was  a  witty  Irish¬ 
man  and  a  genial  host.  Travellers  anticipated  their  re¬ 
ception  and  treatment  at  his  inn.  He  told  them  wonder¬ 
ful  tales  and  fed  them  on  well-prepared  fish  and  game, 
for  which  this  community  is  famous.  In  1785,  Bishop 
Asbury  stopped  at  this  old  inn  on  his  first  visit  to  South 
Carolina,  and  he  recorded  in  his  diary  that  he  was  there 
“well  used.”  Aaron  Burr  frequently  halted  there  for 
refreshment  and  rest  while  he  was  visiting  his  daughter, 
Theodosia,  who  married  Governor  Alston  of  South  Caro¬ 
lina  and  whose  unknown  fate  is  the  subject  of  some  of 
the  most  pathetic  tales  told. 

In  1819,  the  rivalry  existing  between  Thomas  McCon¬ 
nell  and  John  Dozier  had  reached  such  proportions  that 
it  was  the  subject  of  action  on  the  part  of  the  Legislature 
in  that  the  public  roads  leading  into  Willtown  were  dis¬ 
continued  and  the  bridge  over  Black  Mingo  was  moved 
some  miles  below  Willtown  to  Shepherd’s  Ferry.  This 
action  killed  Willtown.  From  that  time  onward,  these 
storehouses  were  one  by  one  abandoned  and  were  burned 
or  fell  into  decay.  Cleland  Belin,  however,  began  a  mer¬ 
cantile  business  there  about  this  time  and  was  a  great 
merchant  for  half  a  century. 

A  postoffice  was  established  at  Indiantown  in  1818.  It 
was  kept  by  George  McCutchen  on  the  Kingstree  road 
about  three  miles  from  the  church.  This  mail  route  ex¬ 
tended  from  Sumter  to  China  Grove  where  it  met  the 
stage  line  from  Cheraw  to  Georgetown.  Indiantown  at 
this  time  began  to  support  a  school.  Levy  Durant  of 
Georgetown  taught  in  the  church  for  several  years  and 
until  the  Indiantown  Academy  was  built.  There  were 
many  men  in  Indiantown  who  owned  a  considerable 
amount  of  property.  James  McFaddin  was  banker  for 


254 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


the  section.  He  always  kept  money  at  hand  and  grew 
wealthy  “shaving  notes.”  . 

Puritanism  was  introduced  into  Williamsburg  by  Dr. 
James  W.  Stephenson,  who  was  pastor  of  the  Bethel 
Presbyterian  Church  at  Kingstree  and  of  the  Indiantown 
Presbyterian  Church  from  1790  until  1808.  He  had  been 
impressed  somewhere  before  coming  to  Williamsburg  with 
the  principles  of  Arminianism.  He,  doubtless,  believed 
that  he  preached  Calvinism.  His  words  may  have  been 
Calvinistic  but  his  thoughts  and  his  personality  empha¬ 
sized  the  responsibility  of  the  individual.  He  began 
Christianizing  negroes.  Calvinism  never  thought  of  ne¬ 
groes  as  of  the  elect,  but  of  them  as  “being  left  to  act 
in  their  sin  to  their  just  condemnation,  to  the  praise  of 
His  glorious  justice.”  Calvinistic  ministers  had  preached 
in  Williamsburg  for  three  score  years  before  Dr.  Stephen¬ 
son  came,  and  not  one  of  them  had  said  a  word  about 
the  saving  of  the  souls  of  slaves. 

These  Scotch-Irish  Presbyterians  of  1730  were  about 
as  far  removed  from  Puritanism  as  were  the  Roman 
Catholics.  The  fact  is,  the  average  Scotch-Irish  Presby¬ 
terian  who  came  to  Williamsburg,  while  he  talked  a  great 
deal  about  his  religion  and  had  absolute  faith  in  his 
church,  yet  he  was  restrained  in  his  daily  conduct  by 
his  religion  and  by  his  church  about  as  little  as  any 
man  who  ever  lived  in  the  world.  He  said  and  did  very 
nearly  what  he  wished.  It  is  true  that  the  Session  of 
Elders  of  his  church  would  sometimes  call  him  before  it, 
making  him  confess  his  sins  and  fall  down  on  his  knees 
before  the  congregation  and  receive  reproof  for  his  irre¬ 
ligious  conduct  before  receiving  communion,  but  this  was 
so  common  that  offenders  did  not  consider  it  too  seriously. 
One  usually  offended  again  whenever  it  suited  his  will. 

When  Dr.  Stephenson  came  to  Kingstree  in  1790,  he 
found  people  here  and  at  Indiantown  much  given  to 
wordly  amusements,  frivolity  and  unpuritanlike  conduct 


ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE,  1783-1830  255 


in  general.  They  loved  horse  racing  and  frequently  held 
races.  Probably  the  largest  crowds  of  people  Dr.  Stephen¬ 
son  saw  in  Kingstree  the  first  ten  years  he  lived  there 
were  gathered  about  the  old  race  course.  Sometimes, 
men  of  Kingstree  drank  more  whiskey  than  was  good  for 
them  and  every  man  kept  a  barrel  of  whiskey  in  his 
home.  Nobody  then  thought  of  apologizing  for  offering 
a  caller  a  drink  of  good  whiskey,  and  most  frequently  the 
caller  took  two  drinks.  Dr.  Stephenson  found  that  danc¬ 
ing  parties  were  frequent  and  sometimes  grand  balls  were 
held  in  the  community.  The  most  saintly  men  and 
women  out  of  his  flock  even  attended  these  dancing  frolics 
and  sometimes  he  saw  one  of  his  elders,  more  than  four 
score  years  of  age,  indulging  in  the  pastime. 

In  short,  Dr.  Stephenson  found  a  band  of  rollicking 
cavaliers  in  these  parts  and  his  greatest  sorrow  lay  in 
the  fact  that  Dr.  James  Malcolmson,  minister  of  the 
faction  of  the  congregation  controlling  the  old  Williams¬ 
burg  Church,  rather  encouraged  these  wordly  amuse¬ 
ments.  Furthermore,  Dr.  Malcolmson  actually  scorned 
the  camp  meeting  Dr.  Stephenson  engineered  at  the 
Sandhills.  Dr.  Malcolmson  even  was  chairman  of  a  board 
that  conducted  a  lottery  for  the  building  of  the  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Academy.  The  slave  owners  in  Dr.  Malcolm- 
son’s  congregation  allowed  their  negro  slaves  to  work 
on  Sundays  land  which  their  masters  had  given  them  for 
producing  crops.  Dr.  Stephenson’s  congregation  had  just 
seceded  from  Dr.  Malcomson’s  congregation  and  had 
seen  the  new  Light.  Dr.  Stephenson  preached  about  all 
these  things  which  Dr.  Malcolmson’s  congregation  did  and 
when  Dr.  Stephenson  left  for  Tennessee  with  his  congre¬ 
gation  in  1808,  he  took  with  him  most  of  the  people  in 
Williamsburg  whom  he  had  succeeded  in  making  Puri¬ 
tans.  Dr.  Stephenson,  however,  sowed  the  seeds  of  Puri¬ 
tanism  and  helped  lay  the  foundation  for  Arminianism 
in  this  district. 


256 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


By  1800,  Williamsburg  bad  recuperated  from  its 
losses  in  the  Revolutionary  War  and  began  an  era  of 
prosperity  which  continued  until  the  Confederate  War. 
While  some  of  the  paragraphs  in  sermons  preached  by 
Dr.  Stephenson  indicated  that  the  people  of  Williams¬ 
burg  lived  riotous  lives,  the  fact  is,  they  were  conser¬ 
vative  in  all  things.  While  they  enjoyed  horse  racing, 
dancing,  and  some  of  them  even  an  occasional  drink  of 
good  whiskey,  the  vast  majority  of  the  people  did 
only  those  things  which  were  conducive  to  strength  and 
to  progression.  There  were  many  lovers  of  blooded  horses 
in  this  district.  Major  John  James  had  introduced  some 
of  the  best  strains  of  Arabian  blood  many  years  prior 
to  the  Revolution  and  there  were  some  excellent  horses 
on  the  plantations  at  this  time.  John  Keels,  on  Mount 
Hope  Swamp,  had  some  very  fine  horses.  He  kept  a  race 
track  on  his  own  plantation.  Samuel  Tisdale  in  the 
Cedar  Swamp  section  owned  a  race  track.  Captain  John 
James  had  one.  James  Burgess,  of  the  Pudding  Swamp 
section,  sometimes  entertained  his  friends  on  his  planta¬ 
tion  race  track. 

At  one  of  the  dances  held  in  Kingstree  in  1805,  John 
and  Samuel  McGill  of  Williamsburg,  who  had  been  work- 
ing  as  apprentice  carpenters  under  Colonel  David  Gor¬ 
don  in  Sumter  for  about  seven  vears,  introduced  short 
hair  for  men  in  Williamsburg.  Up  to  this  time,  all  men 
had  worn  queues.  When  these  two  young  men  entered 
the  ball  room,  their  short  hair  created  a  sensation.  The 
wearing  of  queues  by  the  men  of  Williamsburg  up  to  this 
time  indicates  a  distinct  English  influence  in  the  dis¬ 
trict.  Until  this  day,  stories  are  told  of  the  dances  that 
were  held  at  the  homes  of  Samuel  McGill  and  of  Colonel 
William  Cooper  of  Indiantown,  of  Joseph  Scott  and 
Samuel  Fluitt  at  Kingstree,  and  of  Major  James  Camp¬ 
bell  and  Francis  Lesesne  of  Campbell  Swamp. 


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••• 


!■  •'  '..  Mt  •-  ..flwr 


ECONOMIC  AND  SOCIAL  LIFE,  1783-1830  257 


In  1830,  property  was  probably  more  equally  distri¬ 
buted  in  Williamsburg  than  in  any  other  district  in  South 
Carolina.  There  were  practically  no  poor  whites  here. 
Everyone,  except  overseers,  owned  a  plantation,  and  these 
plantations  were  miniature  empires.  A  sufficient  number 
of  the  sons  of  overseers  to  supply  the  demand  remained. 
The  surplus  went  West.  Some  of  this  surplus  became 
the  bitterest  element  of  the  abolition  party  in  Kansas 
and  Nebraska  of  later  years,  “Free  schools/’  designed 
for  people  too  poor  to  have  their  children  taught  to 
read  and  write,  were  authorized  in  South  Carolina  in 
1811.  There  were  none  of  these  schools  in  Williamsburg. 

Lands  were  worth  from  $2.00  to  $3.00  an  acre;  slaves 
from  $500.00  for  an  ordinary  farm  hand  to  $3,000.00  for 
a  skilled  blacksmith,  carpenter,  or  patroon.  Black  River 
was  navigable  for  flatboats  carrying  a  hundred  bales  of 
cotton  for  some  miles  above  Kingstree.  Black  Mingo  was 
navigable  up  to  the  site  of  the  old  Indian  village  on 
Indiantown  Swamp.  There  were  three  times  as  many 
slaves  as  whites  in  the  district. 

Up  to  this  time,  when  a  man  died  he  usually  willed  all 
of  his  land  to  his  eldest  son  and  provided  for  his  other 
children  out  of  his  personal  property.  Many  of  the 
younger  sons  took  their  property  and  migrated  into  other 
states.  A  number  of  these  younger  sons  founded  families 
in  Western  South  Carolina,  and  in  Georgia,  Florida, 
Alabama,  Mississippi,  Louisiana,  Texas,  and  Tennessee. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 


INDIANTOWN  CHURCH,  1819-1830. 

The  Session  of  Elders  of  Indiantown  Presbyterian 
Church  was  the  supreme  court  of  all  that  section.  In 
civil  as  well  as  religious  matters,  the  people  required  no 
other  tribunal  than  this  ecclesiastical  court.  No  Sanhe¬ 
drim  at  Jerusalem  nor  College  of  Cardinals  at  Rome,  in 
its  time  and  place,  ever  exercised  more  complete  control 
than  did  the  Session  of  Elders  at  Indiantown.  A  re¬ 
markably  conservative  citizenship  has  composed  the  In¬ 
diantown  Congregation  in  all  its  history.  It  is  very  pos¬ 
sible  that  no  other  community  in  this  country  has  for 
so  many  years  required  so  little  interference  by  civil 
authority.  The  unwritten  law  is  so  high  in  conception 
and  so  strong  in  execution  that  hardly  ever  is  it  neces¬ 
sary  for  the  State  to  use  its  authority  in  Indiantown. 

The  Session  Records  of  Indiantown  Church  from  1819 
are  complete  and  existing.  On  February  12,  1819,  the 
Reverend  Robert  Wilson  James,  a  graduate  of  Princeton, 
and  a  licentiate  of  the  Presbytery  of  Harmony,  was  or¬ 
dained  pastor  of  the  Indiantown  Church  and  of  the  Bethel 
Church  at  Kingstree.  At  this  time,  the  old  Williamsburg 
Presbyterian  Church  was  maintaining  a  feeble  organi¬ 
zation  and  had  not  had  a  minister  for  a  score  of  years. 
The  other  faction  of  this  old  Williamsburg  Church,  the 
Bethel  Church,  had  lost  most  of  its  leading  members  by 
removal  to  Maury  County,  Tennessee,  and  to  other  states. 
Indiantown  Church  was  the  only  strong  militant  con¬ 
gregation  worshipping  in  Williamsburg  District. 

For  eighteen  years,  from  1790  until  1808,  Indiantown 
enjoyed  the  ministry  of  the  Reverend  James  W.  Stephen¬ 
son.  Dr.  Stephenson  had  a  remarkable  influence  upon 
Indiantown.  He  came  very  near  Puritanizing  it  in  a 
single  score  of  years.  The  other  ministers  who  had  fol- 


INDIANTOWN  CHURCH,  1819-1830 


259 


lowed  Mr.  Stevenson  up  to  the  time  of  Mr.  James’  com¬ 
ing  were  all  good  men  and  the  church  was  in  excellent 
condition  when  he  was  ordained.  Some  of  these  old  re¬ 
cords  in  the  Session  Book  here  are  copied : 

“The  following  infants  were  received  into  the  church 
by  Baptism,  February  22,  1819 :  Calvin,  son  of  Hugh 
and  Elizabeth  Hanna;  Alexander  James,  son  of  Alex¬ 
ander  and  Martha  McCants;  William  Hitch,  son  of  John 
and  Jane  Price;  Mary  Scott,  daughter  of  George  and 
Jannet  Barr;  Frances  Jane,  daughter  of  Alexander  and 
Jane  McCrea;  Samuel  Davis,  son  of  Mary  Ann  and 
Samuel  McGill;  Alexander  Washington  Jackson,  son 
of  William  and  Susan  Graham.  In  the  summer  and 
fall  of  1819,  the  following  infants  were  received  into  the 
Church  by  baptism :  David  Flavil,  son  of  Samuel  J, 
and  Jane  Wilson;  D&vid  Edward,  son  of  David  D.  and 
Mary  WTilson;  Sarah  Margaret,  daughter  of  William  and 
Esther  Daniel;  Jane  McGill  and  Elizabeth,  daughters 
of  Enos  and  Mary  McDonald.  This  year  Hugh  Hanna, 
George  Barr,  George  McCutchen,  Jr.,  and  Samuel  J. 
Wilson  were  elected  and  ordained  to  the  office  of  Ruling 
Elders.  In  November,  applications  for  membership  from 
two  black  men  received  attention.  Upon  recommenda¬ 
tion  of  their  masters  and  after  satisfying  the  Session  as 
to  their  knowledge  and  piety,  Cupid  was  first  admitted 
to  the  ordinance  of  baptism  and  then  to  the  Lord’s  Sup¬ 
per;  Hannibal,  having  been  previously  baptized  in  the 
Methodist  Church,  was  admitted  to  the  Supper.” 

“At  this  meeting  of  the  Session  of  Elders,  a  young 
woman  in  the  community  who  had,  some  years  before 
that  time,  been  charged  with  incest,  applied  for  member¬ 
ship  in  the  Church,  making  full  confession  before  the 
Session.  The  Session  was  uncertain  about  receiving  her 
into  full  membership  and  referred  the  case  to  the  Pres- 
bvtery,  to  which  the  Presbvtery  at  its  next  meeting  re- 
plied,  ‘The  opinion  of  the  Presbytery  in  the  above  case 


260 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


is,  the  person  in  question  may  be  correctly  admitted  to 
the  communion  of  the  Church,  upon  giving  satisfactory 
evidence  of  experimental  piety;  and  that  it  be  recom¬ 
mended  to  the  Session  to  receive  a  public  confession  of 
penitence  for  the  crime  above  alluded  to.  Signed:  John 
Cousar,  Moderator.’  This  recommendation  was  made 
known  to  the  applicant,  but  she  declined  to  make  a  con¬ 
fession  of  her  crime  before  the  congregation  and  she  was 
not  admitted  to  membership.” 

April  30,  1820,  “At  a  meeting  of  the  Session,  the  Elder¬ 
ship  came  to  the  determination  to  take  into  considera¬ 
tion  and  to  state  formally  to  this  Church  Judiciary  the 
conduct  of  some  members  that  were  guilty  of  unchristian 
practices.  At  a  meeting  held  in  May,  the  following 
members  were  reported :  Hugh  Paisley,  charged  with 
intoxication;  John  J.  McCullough,  intoxication;  Robert 
Brown,  gambling  and  fighting;  John  S.  Dick,  intoxica¬ 
tion;  Samuel  James,  intoxication;  Sam,  a  black  man, 
theft. 

“The  Session  adjudged  it  most  proper  that  Hugh  Pais¬ 
ley  shall  be  conversed  with  by  two  of  their  members  in 
a  private  manner  referring  to  his  crime.  George  Mc- 
Cutchen,  Sr.,  and  Samuel  J.  Wilson  were  appointed  for 
this  purpose.  The  Session  adjudged  that  John  J.  Mc¬ 
Cullough  should  be  warned  of  his  crime,  reminded  of  his 
relation  to  the  Church  and  informed  that  the  Church 
would  proceed  farther  in  the  case  without  his  reforma¬ 
tion.  George  McCutchen  and  James  Daniels  were  ap¬ 
pointed  to  converse  with  him.  The  Session  adjudged  that 
Robert  Brown  should  be  warned  of  his  conduct  by  a 
private  letter.  Hugh  Hanna  and  George  Barr  were  ap¬ 
pointed  to  converse  with  James  Barr  and  warn  him  that 
he  had  scandalized  his  Christian  profession  and  that  the 
Session  would  find  it  necessary  to  exclude  him  from 
the  communion,  unless  he  manifest  the  fruits  of  repen¬ 
tance  and  reformation.  The  Reverend  Robert  W.  James 


INDIANTOWN  CHURCH,  1819-1830 


261 


was  appointed  to  converse  with  John  S.  Dick  and  Samuel 
James  and  warn  then  against  their  alleged  crimes. 
Captain  John  James  was  instructed  to  collect  the  evi¬ 
dence  against  Sam,  the  black  man,  and  lay  it  before  the 
Session. 

“The  committee  appointed  to  wait  on  James  Barr  re¬ 
ported  that  he  would  not  hear  or  attend  to  the  warning 
of  the  Church.  Samuel  James  acknowledged  his  offense 
and  professed  repentance  for  it.  John  J.  McCullough 
acknowledged  the  crime  made  to  his  charge,  admitted  its 
being  a  crime,  but  excused  himself  as  being  under  the 
decree  of  God.  He  made  a  promise  that  he  would  en¬ 
deavor  to  amend.  The  Session  did  not  accept  Mr.  Mc¬ 
Cullough’s  excuse  and  refused  to  admit  him  to  partake 
of  the  Communion  of  the  Lord’s  Supper  until  he  had 
further  acknowledged  his  crime  and  repented.  Hugh 
Paisley  came  before  the  Session,  acknowledged  his  crime, 
was  permitted  to  make  profession  of  his  repentance  agree¬ 
able  to  the  form  prescribed  in  the  Book  of  Discipline. 
James  Barr  was  suspended.  The  black  man,  Sam,  was 
rebuked  but  permitted  to  retain  his  privileges  in  the 
Church.” 

This  entry  is  found  in  the  records  of  the  next  meeting 
of  the  Session,  “The  Session  of  this  Church  has  to  lament 
the  apostacy  of  Hugh  Paisley,  who  has  again  been  guilty 
of  intoxication  and  appeared  in  that  condition  in  the 
presence  of  the  whole  church  on  the  Sabbath  Day.”  It 
was  then  resolved  that  Hugh  Paisley  be  cited  to  appear 
before  the  Session  on  the  2nd  day  of  February  for  trial 
for  his  crime. 

“2nd  of  February,  1821.  The  Session  at  this  time 
finds  itself  at  a  loss  on  the  cases  of  two  negro  men  who 
have  been  in  communion  with  the  Church  and  whose 
wives  have  been  removed  from  them  by  their  owners. 
These  men  have  taken  other  wives.  The  Session  is  at  a 
loss  to  determine  on  the  propriety  of  their  conduct.  It 


262 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


refers  their  cases  to  the  Presbytery  and  suspends  them 
until  its  opinion  is  known. 

February  4,  1821,  James  Daniel,  a  Ruling  Elder  in 
this  Church  came  forward,  confessed  to  the  Session  that 
he  had  been  overtaken  with  the  crime  of  intoxication  and 
professed  a  sincere  repentance.  The  Session  deemed  it 
advisable  that  James  Daniel,  in  consequence  of  his  stand¬ 
ing  as  an  officer  of  the  Church,  should  make  public  con¬ 
fession  of  his  crime  and  repentance. 

“October  10,  1822,  three  black  persons  in  connection 
with  the  Methodist  Church  made  application  for  member¬ 
ship  in  this.  It  was  the  voice  of  this  Session  that  if  they 
fell  under  its  jurisdiction,  it  should  be  satisfied  with  their 
piety  and  knowledge.  They  were  accordingly  examined, 
but  being  very  deficient  in  knowledge  so  far  as  this  Ses¬ 
sion  could  judge,  they  were  for  the  present  excluded. 

“June  1,  1823,  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord’s  Supper  was 
administered  and  the  following  black  members  received 
into  full  communion:  Sena,  Phoebe,  Jannet,  Cupid,  and 
Jenny,  of  the  Methodist  Society. 

“October  29,  1823,  charges  next  were  exhibited  against 
Entrum,  a  black  man  on  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Hugh 
McCutchen.  Entrum  was  charged  with  adultery.  Two 
witnesses  supported  this  charge  and  his  own  state¬ 
ments  amounted  to  a  confession.  The  Session,  after 
giving  the  parties  a  full  hearing,  decided  that  Entrum 
should  be  suspended  from  the  Church. 

“The  Pastor  of  the  Church  now  laid  before  the  Ses¬ 
sion  plans  for  carrying  into  operation  a  Bible  class,  a 
Sunday  School,  and  a  regular  catechizing  of  the  black 
people,  which  plans  were  concurred  in  and  measures  taken 
for  their  early  commencements. 

“January  22,  1825,  David  Wilson,  a  Ruling  Elder  of 
this  Church,  with  Sarah  Florilla  Wilson,  his  wife,  took 
their  dismission  from  this  Church  to  remove  with  their 
family,  James  Stephenson,  Thomas  Edwin,  Robert  Man- 


INDIANTOWN  CHURCH,  1819-1830 


263 


ton,  Samuel  Addison,  and  William  McClary,  to  the  State 
of  Alabama. 

“December  31,  1825,  it  has  pleased  Almighty  God,  the 
great  head  of  the  Church,  to  remove  from  us  our  vener¬ 
able  fathers,  Captain  John  James,  Mr.  James  Daniel, 
and  Mr.  George  McCutchen,  Sr.  While  the  surviving 
members  of  the  Session  of  Indiantown  Church  feel  the 
heavy  affliction  and  deeply  deplore  the  loss  of  these  very 
respectable,  much  esteemed,  and  good,  useful  Church 
officers,  they  must,  at  the  same  time,  express  their  grati¬ 
tude  to  a  Good  and  Gracious  God  for  their  long  spared 
lives,  for  the  services  they  were  enabled  to  render  by 
their  exemplary  and  pious  conduct,  but,  above  all,  for 
preparing  them,  as  we  trust,  for  glory  and  honor  with 
Himself. 

“Captain  John  James,  after  filling  useful  stations  in 
State,  as  well  as  Church,  with  honor  to  himself,  and 
having  through  life  manifested  great  liberality  of  mind 
and  generosity  of  conduct,  was  removed  by  death  on 
October  12,  1825,  in  the  sixty-ninth  year  of  his  age. 

“Mr.  James  Daniel  was  removed  from  life  and  from 
his  services  among  us  as  a  Ruling  Elder,  September  12, 
1826,  aged  seventy-eight.  His  life  was  a  retired  one,  but 
useful  in  his  sphere.  Sound  principles  appear  to  have 
possessed  his  mind  and  under  the  influences  of  these,  the 
tenor  of  his  life  was  uniform,  unpretending,  conscien¬ 
tious,  and  faithful  in  all  his  duties. 

Mr.  George  McCutchen  was  called  from  this  scene  of 
earthly  existence  on  the  26th  day  of  November  and  in 
the  seventy-third  year  of  his  age.  Blessed  by  his  God 
with  a  calm  and  discriminating  mind,  a  paternal  temper, 
and  a  satisfied  and  placid  disposition,  his  life  was  to  us, 
dignified,  pious,  and  lovely. 

“It  having  been  made  known  to  the  Session  and  Church 
by  the  present  Pastor  that  he  intended  to  resign  his  pas¬ 
toral  charge  in  this  congregation  in  the  ensuing  April, 


261 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


this  having  been  signified  almost  twelve  months  ago,  it 
was  deemed  expedient  to  take  another  Pastor.  This 
business  was  referred  to  the  Reverend  R.  W.  James  to 
correspond  or  communicate  with  certain  gentlemen  on 
this  subject  as  preparatory  to  this  business. 

“It  was  determined  in  the  Session  that  there  should  be 
a  meeting  of  the  Congregation,  called  for  the  purpose  of 
electing  five  more  Ruling  Elders  to  our  Session  on  Jan¬ 
uary  29,  1827. 

“February  10,  1827,  the  Congregation  met  according  to 
appointment  and  elected  Benjamin  Britton,  James  Mc- 
Faddin,  Hugh  McCutchen,  William  McFaddin,  and  David 
D.  Wilson  as  Ruling  Elders  in  the  Church.  David  D. 
Wilson  only  accepted  the  appointment  and  was  ordained 
the  13th  of  November,  1827. 

“Our  Pastor,  Reverend  Robert  Wilson  James,  previous 
to  this,  made  known  to  the  Congregation  his  intention  of 
giving  up  the  charge  of  this  Church  in  May,  1827. 

“November,  Sam,  a  black  man,  belonging  to  William  E. 
James,  was  restored  to  the  privileges  of  the  Church  by 
making  public  acknowledgement  and  confessing  repen¬ 
tance  for  the  crime  of  fishing  on  the  Sabbath  Day. 

“October  25,  at  a  meeting  of  the  Session,  the  following 
members  were  admitted  to  the  Ordinance  of  the  Lord’s 
Supper,  namely:  Alexander  McCrea,  Jane  J.  McKnight, 
Agnes  K.  Singletary,  Sarah  A.  B.  Singletary,  Elizabeth 
Pressley,  Sarah  Gotea,  Mary  M.  McGill,  Sarah  A.  James, 
William  Pressley,  Elizabeth  M.  Pressley,  John  J.  Clark, 
Jane  P.  Clark,  Samuel  E.  Graham,  Martha  M.  Graham, 
Margaret  E.  McCrea,  Jane  E.  McFaddin,  Elizabeth  M. 
Wilson,  Sarah  R.  J.  Snowden,  and  Jane  Barr. 

“October  28,  Adam  Smith  was  suspended  for  intemper¬ 
ance  on  the  14th  of  March  and  for  want  of  candour  in  not 
stating  his  reason  for  not  communing  on  a  former  oc¬ 
casion  when  present. 


INDIANTOWN  CHURCH,  1819-1830 


265 


“October  28,  Samuel  James  was  suspended  for  intem¬ 
perance  on  the  14th  of  March.  The  suspension  of  Samuel 
James  was  continued  and  the  next  Session  unanimously 
decided  that  on  some  day,  just  previous  to  the  next 
Sacrament  in  April,  the  Session  would  receive  the  said 
Samuel  James  in  full  communion  in  case  of  his  amend¬ 
ment;  or  if,  at  that  time,  there  be  not  satisfactory  evi¬ 
dence  given  of  reformation,  the  Session  will  proceed  to  ex- 
communiate  the  said  Samuel  James  from  the  sealing  or¬ 
dinances  of  the  church.  And  further  resolved  by  the  Ses¬ 
sion,  that  a  copy  of  these  minutes  be  handed  to  Samuel 
James  within  the  space  of  a  few  days,  signed  by  the 
Moderator,  and  all  the  Session.” 


CHAPTER  XXII. 


THE  NULLIFICATION  MOVEMENT,  1832. 

When  the  Treaty  of  Peace  between  the  United  States 
and  Great  Britain  was  signed  in  1783,  the  United  States 
were  thirteen  independent  republics  bound  together  by 
a  “rope  of  sand.”  These  thirteen  independent  states 
covering  a  vast  territory  were  settled  by  peoples  of  widely 
differing  European  nations,  of  many  classes,  religions, 
occupations,  and  characteristics.  The  means  of  com¬ 
munication  among  these  thirteen  states  were  practically 
impossible.  A  journey  over  land  from  Boston  to  Savan¬ 
nah  by  the  most  rapid  means  of  travel  required  many 
weeks  and  could  be  made  only  by  strong  and  daring  men 
inured  to  hardships  and  unaccustomed  to  fear. 

In  1789,  these  thirteen  independent  American  states 
united  into  one  state  and  adopted  the  Federal  Consti¬ 
tution.  This  union  was  effected  after  many  years  of 
fasting  and  praying  by  the  righteous,  of  scheming  and 
dreaming  by  politicians,  and  laboring  and  compromis¬ 
ing  by  statesmen.  There  were  two  well  defined  schools 
of  political  thought  in  almost  every  one  of  these  thirteen 
states  from  the  time  of  the  actualization  of  their  inde¬ 
pendence.  One  school  believed  that  the  success  of  this 
new  thing  in  nations  depended  on  a  strong  central  govern¬ 
ment  in  which  the  thirteen  states  should  play  but  minor 
parts.  The  other  faction  believed  just  as  sincerely  that 
the  central  government  should  be  largely  formal  and 
possess  but  nominal  authority  and  power.  The  economic 
interests  of  the  northern  section  and  the  southern  sec¬ 
tion  of  the  territory  of  these  United  States  were  widely 
different.  The  North  was  better  suited  for  manufactur¬ 
ing  and  commerce  and  the  South  for  agriculture  and  stock 
raising. 


THE  NULLIFICATION  MOVEMENT,  1832  267 


This  new  government  of  the  United  States  required 
money  for  supporting  its  many  agencies  or  functions.  A 
tax  on  imported  goods  was  adopted  in  the  beginning  to 
raise  the  required  revenue.  This  tax  on  imported  goods 
actually  subsidized  manufacturing  and  commerce,  but  it 
placed  a  heavy  burden  on  agriculture  and  stock  raising. 
The  tariff  question  was  from  the  beginning,  and  has  con¬ 
tinued  until  this  day,  the  direct  or  the  indirect  cause  of 
nearly  all  the  conflicts  which  have  befallen  the  American 
people.  The  sections  were  first  divided  on  this  matter 
and  still  divide  on  it  as  interests  conflict  in  the  ever 
changing  economic  conditions  in  the  various  parts  of  the 
nation. 

If  some  statesmen  of  1789  could  have  written  into  the 
Constitution  of  the  United  States  an  article  that  would 
have,  without  favoring  any  section,  produced  revenue 
sufficient  to  maintain  the  Federal  Government  in  all  of 
its  activities  forever,  in  all  probability  the  “States’ 
Rights”  question  would  have  been  the  subject  of  nothing 
more  than  fanciful,  theoretical,  senatorial  orations,  and 
the  slavery  matter  of  little  more  than  long  winded  ser¬ 
mons  by  sharp  nosed  Puritans,  “full  of  sound  and  fury, 
signifying  nothing.” 

South  Carolina  was  the  one  state  of  all  the  thirteen  most 
grievously  burdened  by  the  taxes,  known  as  the  tariff, 
levied  and  collected  by  the  Federal  Government.  South 
Carolina  was,  is,  and  will  be,  a  state  dependent  largely 
on  agriculture  and  animal  husbandry,  and  there  is  no 
portion  of  South  Carolina  more  entirely  devoted  to  agri¬ 
culture  and  stock  raising  than  is  Williamsburg. 

About  1830,  the  tariff  then  in  force  was  especially 
burdensome  to  South  Carolina;  and  in  1832  a  State  Con¬ 
vention  was  held  in  Columbia  and  declared  the  tariffs  of 
1828  and  1832  null  and  void,  and  that  if  the  United  States 
Government  attempted  to  enforce  them,  South  Carolina 
would  set  up  a  government  of  its  own.  The  great  leaders 


268 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


of  the  Nullification  in  South  Carolina  were  Calhoun, 
Hayne,  McDuffie,  and  Hamilton;  the  Unionist  leaders 
were  Legare,  Grimke,  Pettigru,  and  Elliott.  Practic¬ 
ally  everybody  in  South  Carolina  opposed  any  tariff  ex¬ 
cept  for  revenue.  The  division  between  the  Nullifiers  and 
the  Unionists  in  South  Carolina  lay  in  the  means  to  be 
used  for  opposing  the  ever  increasing  tariff.  The  Nulli¬ 
fiers  claimed  that  the  Constitution  was  a  compact  be¬ 
tween  the  states  as  equals,  that  this  Constitution  had 
granted  certain  powers  to  the  general  government  and 
reserved  all  others  to  the  states;  and  that  when  the 
Federal  Government  should  exceed  its  granted  powers, 
any  state  had  the  right  to  veto  such  action.  The  Union 
party  held  that  the  Constitution  was  for  the  government 
of  the  American  people  as  a  whole,  and  that  no  state  had 
the  right  to  nullify  any  act  of  the  National  Government. 

In  Williamsburg  District,  the  lines  between  the  Nulli¬ 
fiers  and  the  Unionists  were  clearly  drawn.  In  Kings- 
tree,  Dr.  James  Bradley  was  Unionist  leader;  allied  with 
him  were  the  Scotts,  Fultons,  and  Witherspoons.  Dr. 
Thomas  D.  Singleton  was  the  leading  Nullifier  and  with 
him  were  the  Gourdins,  Nelsons,  and  Salters’.  On  the 
Santee,  Dr.  William  Buford  and  Major  Morgan  Sabb  were 
Unionists,  while  the  Campbells,  Gourdins,  Keels,  and  Mc¬ 
Donalds  were  Nullifiers.  Anderson  Township,  under  the 
leadership  of  Matthew  L.  Martin,  was  almost  unanimously 
Union;  on  Black  Mingo,  the  Doziers  and  Captain  Jack 
Graham  were  Unionists,  and  the  Nesmiths  and  Brockin- 
tons  were  Nullifiers;  the  Johnsonville  section  was  com¬ 
posed  largely  of  Unionists  under  the  leadership  of  the 
Johnsons,  Haseldens,  and  Coxs;  the  Lake  section,  in  its 
northern  and  middle  portions,  under  the  leadership  of 
A.  F.  Graham,  Samuel  E.  Graham,  the  Cockfields,  Mc- 
Callisters,  Matthews’,  and  Rodgers,  was  largely  for  Nulli¬ 
fication,  while  its  lower  and  eastern  portions,  under  the 
leadership  of  James  Graham,  the  Singletarys,  and 


THE  NULLIFICATION  MOVEMENT,  1832  269 

Browns,  largely  espoused  the  Union  cause.  Indiantown 
was  almost  as  a  unit  favorable  to  the  Union  cause. 
Many  of  the  old  families  of  the  district  were  seriously 
divided  on  this  question,  as  were  the  Grahams,  Mouzons, 
McClarys,  and  Hannas. 

The  feeling  between  these  two  factions  in  Williams¬ 
burg  grew  intense.  The  Nullifiers  denounced  the  Union¬ 
ists  as  submissionists  or  cowards,  and  the  Unionists  re¬ 
torted  that  the  Nullifiers  were  “all  smoke  and  no  fire.” 
The  Nullifiers  adopted  as  a  badge  a  cockade  made  of 
white  and  blue  ribbons  representing  a  palmetto  tree  and 
wore  these  badges  on  the  side  of  their  hats.  Great  public 
dinners  were  given  by  each  party  in  the  several  sections 
of  the  district.  Sometimes,  both  parties  held  their  feasts 
on  the  same  day  and  at  the  some  place.  At  these  dinners, 
fiery  orators  addressed  the  multitudes  and  frequently 
feeling  ran  so  high  that  rioting  was  begun. 

Many  were  the  fisticuff  fights  occurring  between  parti¬ 
sans  at  this  time.  Tradition  tells  of  some  of  these.  Among 
them,  that  between  W.  G.  Gamble,  Nullifier,  and  Colonel 
William  Cooper,  Unionist,  which  occurred  at  Kingstree; 
one  between  Robert  W.  Fulton,  of  Kingstree,  and  John 
F.  Graham,  at  the  crossroads  in  the  vicinity  of  Cades. 
Another  between  Sam  Graham,  Unionist,  and  C.  W.  Cades, 
Nullifier,  at  the  same  place.  Among  the  orators  who 
addressed  the  Union  gatherings  in  Williamsburg,  were 
Dr.  James  Bradley,  Colonel  David  D.  Wilson,  and  Honor¬ 
able  Thomas  R.  Mitchell,  while  the  most  important  Nulli¬ 
fier  speakers  were  Dr.  Thomas  D.  Singleton  and  Peter 
Gourdin. 

As  evidence  of  how  nearly  these  two  factions  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  were  equal,  Dr.  Thomas  D.  Singleton  and  Colo¬ 
nel  David  D.  Wilson  were  candidates  for  the  Senate  from 
Williamsburg,  and  when  the  vote  was  tabulated  it  was 
found  that  each  of  them  had  received  the  same  number. 
Members  of  the  Legislature  from  Williamsburg  elected 


270 


HISTOKY  OF  WILLIAMSBUKG 


that  year  were  Dr.  T.  D.  Singleton,  William  Cooper,  and 
Joseph  Bradley,  two  Unionists  and  one  Nullifier.  The 
Nullifiers  elected  all  three  of  their  delegates  to  the  Nulli¬ 
fication  Convention  which  was  held  in  November,  1832. 
The  delegates  from  Williamsburg  to  this  Convention  were 
Peter  Gourdin,  Dr.  T.  D.  Singleton,  and  William  Waites. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 


PURITANISM^  CALVINISM;  AND  ARMINIANISM. 

Williamsburg  was  wealthy  in  1830.  This  was  the  first 
time  within  two  hundred  years  these  Scotch-Irish  had  not 
been  enthralled  by  a  superior  force,  when  they  were  free 
and  able  to  act.  Calvinism  had  been  thrust  upon  them  in 
the  most  strategic  period  in  their  history,  when  they  were 
torn  and  bleeding  and  bereft  of  all  worldly  goods,  and 
it  must  have  seemed  that  God  had  forgotten  them.  John 
Knox  then  came  and  preached  Calvinism  to  them,  de¬ 
claring  unto  them  that  they  were  God’s  own  elect,  “pre¬ 
destinated  and  foreordained”  as  His  own  elect.  How 
easy  was  it  then  for  the  Church  of  Scotland  to  embrace 
Calvinism ! 

Economic  independence  is  indispensable  for  religious 
progress.  Circuit  riders,  following  Bishop  Asbury,  had 
been  preaching  the  doctrine  according  to  St.  James  and 
the  Dutch  theologian,  James  Arminius,  but  until  about 
this  time  few  men  had  reached  the  financial  condition 
where  they  felt  able  to  fight  for  a  faith.  Besides,  these 
Scotch-Irish  had  a  most  comforting  religion  in  Calivnism. 
Did  not  the  whole  weight  of  responsibility  for  their  salva¬ 
tion  rest  on  God?  Had  not  God  “elected”  them  from  the 
foundation  of  the  world?  Nobody  but  a  fool  would  be¬ 
lieve  that  a  man  had  to  work  out  his  own  salvation  when 
it  was  so  plain  and  simple  that  “This  effectual  call  is 
of  God’s  free  and  special  grace  alone,  not  from  any¬ 
thing  at  all  foreseen  in  man,  nor  from  any  power  or 
agency  in  the  creature,  coworking  with  His  special  Grace, 
the  Creature  being  wholly  passive  therein.” 

The  Baptists,  until  about  1830,  had  been  dominated 
by  Calvinism.  They  had  made  no  inroads  on  the  Pres¬ 
byterians  in  Williamsburg.  The  preaching  of  baptism  by 
immersion  only  had  not  been  sufficient  to  disturb  these 


272 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Presbyterian  Congregations.  The  Church  of  England  in 
South  Carolina  had  not  been  vitally  interested  in  bring¬ 
ing  these  “poor  Protestants”  into  communion  with  them 
in  1730,  nor  had  its  successor,  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Church,  seemed  to  care  much  about  these  “back  country” 
people  in  1830. 

In  1830,  the  Presbyterian  Church  in  Williamburg  be¬ 
lieved  this  district  its  very  own.  Ever  since  the  War  of 
the  Revolution,  it  had  been  rightly  confident  that  the 
Protestant  Episcopal  Church  would  not  disturb  the  realm. 
It  knew  that  the  Baptist  Church  would  not  seriously 
interfere  with  its  undisputed  sway  so  long  as  it  offered 
only  immersion  as  an  inducement.  But  the  continual 
coming  of  the  Methodist  circuit  riders  began  to  weary 
the  Presbyterian  leaders.  Not  that  these  circuit  riders 
had  made  many  converts  to  their  faith,  especially  from 
among  the  “elect,”  but  their  continual  coming  and  fer¬ 
vent  preaching  disturbed  them.  About  this  time,  too, 
many  Baptist  preachers  were  losing  faith  in  Calvinism 
and  proclaiming  “Whatsoever  a  man  soweth  that  shall 
he  also  reap.” 

The  old  breach  in  the  Presbyterian  Congregation  at 
Williamsburg  had  just  been  healed,  a  new  church  erected, 
and  the  Indiantown  Church  seemed  approaching  the  full 
meridian  of  its  glory  and  power.  These  two  Presbyte¬ 
rian  Churches  were  the  only  religious  organizations  in 
the  district  that  were,  to  all  appearances,  worthy  of  more 
than  a  name.  But  the  Presbvterians  decided  it  would  be 

t/ 

wise  to  begin  preaching  Calvinism  in  all  its  intensity. 
Then  at  least  ninety-five  per  centum  of  the  church  mem¬ 
bership  of  the  district  was  Presbyterian. 

The  Reverend  John  M.  Ervin,  who  came  from  North 
Carolina  as  pastor  of  the  Williamsburg  and  the  Indian¬ 
town  Churches  in  1828,  was  the  second  Puritan  Presby¬ 
terian  preacher  who  came  into  Williamsburg,  and  who 
undertook  to  impress  ideas  of  religion  that  had  not  grown 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  273 


out  of  the  people  of  the  community.  Mr.  Ervin,  when  he 
came,  was  in  the  prime  vigor  of  manhood,  tall  and  slender, 
and  sharp  faced,  “with  a  long  grey  beard  and  a  glitter¬ 
ing  eye.”  He  found  in  the  reunited  church  at  Williams¬ 
burg  that  “conquered  Greece  had  captured  Rome,”  for 
that  the  seceders  of  the  Bethel  Congregation  with  their 
Puritan  tendencies,  somewhat  influenced  by  Arminianism, 
had  become  the  dominant  element  in  the  ancient  Williams^ 
burg  Church.  In  his  Indiantown  Congregation,  his 
board  of  elders  were  men  of  strongly  pronounced  Puritan 
tendencies.  Nearly  everybody  in  both  of  these  congre¬ 
gations  believed  that  the  Presbyterian  Church  should  com¬ 
pletely  dominate  temporal  as  well  as  spiritual  affairs. 

Mr.  Ervin  found  that  there  was  in  this  section  much 
not  in  consonance  with  his  notions  of  religious  conduct. 
Especially  at  Indiantown  did  he  find  many  of  his  con¬ 
gregation  given  to  enjoying  such  wordly  amusements  as 
dancing  and  horse  racing.  With  the  unreserved  support  of 
his  Session  of  Elders  in  that  Church,  he  preached  power¬ 
ful  sermons  against  these  practices.  On  the  8th  of  Jan¬ 
uary,  1830,  he  and  his  Session  of  Elders  published  the 
following  statement :  “At  a  meeting  of  the  Session  of 
Indiantown  Church,  it  was  resolved  to  address  the  follow¬ 
ing  to  the  communing  members  of  this  Society :  Whereas, 
your  Session  has  reason  to  believe  that  some  of  the 
members  in  full  communion  in  this  Church  give  encour¬ 
agement  to  and  take  active  part  in  balls  or  dancing 
frolics;  and,  Whereas  the  encouragement  thus  given  to 
this  amusement  is  a  great  grievance  to  some,  perhaps  to 
a  majority  of  this  Society,  and  if  we  mistake  not,  a 
stumbling  block  to  others;  and,  Whereas,  the  General 
Assembly  of  our  Church  has  expressly  disapproved  of 
this  amusement  as  inexpedient  among  professors  in  our 
Church;  the  Session,  after  deliberately  viewing  these 
things  in  connection  with  its  responsibilities  as  officers  of 
this  Church,  does  hereby  declare  to  you  its  approval  of 


274 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


the  decision  of  this  judicatory  of  the  Church  and  that  it 
will  henceforth  feel  itself  bound  to  view  all  professors 
of  religion  in  this  Church  who  encourage  or  take  an  ac¬ 
tive  part  in  dancing  as  offenders  against  this  Church 
and  prosperity.  Finally,  brethren,  we  affectionately  ex¬ 
hort  you  to  abstain  from  all  appearance  of  evil.  Directed 
to  be  read  by  the  Moderator  next  Sabbath.”  Signed, 
John  M.  Ervin,  George  Barr,  George  McCutchen,  David 
D.  Wilson,  and  Samuel  J.  Wilson. 

At  the  next  meeting  of  the  Session,  the  Reverend  Mr. 
Ervin  was  directed  to  admonish  privately  all  those  persons 
whose  names  may  have  come  to  his  knowledge  as  having 
violated  the  resolution  on  the  subject  of  dancing.  At  this 
meeting,  no  satisfactory  evidence  of  the  reformation  of 
Samuel  James  having  been  produced,  the  Session  excom¬ 
municated  him,  and  the  clerk  was  instructed  to  notify  him 
of  its  action. 

These  actions  on  the  part  of  this  Session  of  Elders  did 
not  terrify  some  of  the  communing  members  of  this 
Church  and  they  continued  enjoying  themselves  as  if  these 
edicts  had  not  been  promulgated.  Finally,  the  Session 
of  Elders  appointed  a  committee  of  two,  Reverend  John 
M.  Ervin  and  Elder  D>.  D.  Wilson,  to  “converse  in  a  pri¬ 
vate  manner”  with  Samuel  McGill  and  to  endeavor  to 
bring  him  to  repentance  for  his  dancing  and  permitting 
dancing  parties  to  be  held  in  his  home.  This  committee 
visited  Mr.  McGill,  who  “assumed  principles  and  used 
expressions,”  a  summary  of  which  the  committee  made 
known  to  the  Session  previous  to  administration  of  the 
Lord’s  Supper  on  the  next  occasion.  After  hearing  this 
committee  report,  he  was  warned  by  the  Session  not  to 
come  to  the  Lord’s  Table  for  communion. 

After  this,  the  Session  cited  Mr.  McGill  to  appear  before 
it  to  answer  the  following  questions.  “1.  Do  you  ac¬ 
knowledge  subjection  to  the  government  and  discipline  of 
the  Presbyterian  Church?  2.  Do  you  acknowledge  the 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  275 


permanent  authority  of  the  pastoral  letters  of  the  Gen¬ 
eral  Assembly  of  1818  as  far  as  it  respects  dancing?  3. 
Do  you  acknowledge  that  when  an  officer  of  the  Church 
is  properly  authorized  to  converse  with  an  offending 
member  and  the  offense  is  confessed  as  a  fact,  that,  in 
such  a  case,  it  is  the  immediate  duty  of  the  officers  to 
endeavor  to  bring  the  offender  to  repentance  and  amend¬ 
ment  by  all  proper  means?” 

May  30,  1830.  “The  Session  at  Indiantown  met  at 
twelve  o’clock  and  continued  in  session  until  six  o’clock 
in  the  afternoon,  awaiting  the  result  of  Mr.  Samuel  Mc¬ 
Gill’s  deliberations  on  the  admonitory  letter  addressed  to 
him  on  the  16th  instant,  and  also  his  decision  on  the  pro¬ 
positions  submitted  to  him  on  the  25th,  and  Mr.  McGill 
did  not  appear  nor  was  any  communication  received  from 
him.  After  mature  deliberation,  the  Session  unanimously 
resolved  to  prefer  the  following  charges  against  him: 

“1.  Samuel  McGill  is  charged  with  obstinacy  by  avow¬ 
ing  and  adhering  to  the  following  as  a  principle  in  dis¬ 
cipline,  viz.,  That  all  we  do  is  sin,’  in  direct  opposition  to 
the  plain  import  of  discipline  read  audibly  in  his  pres¬ 
ence.  This  obstinacy  occurred  on  the  11th  instant  at 
his  own  house,  and  was  persevered  in  during  the  stay  of 
the  committee,  without  any  apparent  charge  of  sentiment, 
in  the  presence  of  three  members  of  his  own  family,  the 
pastor  of  the  Church,  and  D.  D.  Wilson,  ruling  elder, 
the  two  last  being  present  on  official  duty  with  reference 
to  a  case  of  discipline  with  a  member  of  his  own  family. 

“2.  Samuel  McGill  is  charged  with  disrespect  to  the 
authorized  expressions  of  the  General  Assembly  of  1818, 
as  contained  in  the  pastoral  letter  on  the  subject  of 
dancing.  This  disrespect  was  manifested  in  the  day,  at 
the  place,  and  in  the  presence  of  all  the  persons  above 
mentioned,  and  after  it  had  been  distinctly  and  audibly 
announced  to  him  that  these  expressions  were  matters 
of  permanent  authority  in  the  Presbyterian  Church. 


276 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


“3.  Mr.  Samuel  McGill  is  charged  with  slandering  an 
individual  of  this  Session  by  plainly  intimating  that  the 
Elder  had  used  improper  means  to  force  an  offending 
member  of  this  Church  to  make  promises  of  an  amend¬ 
ment  ;  and  afterwards,  as  he  asserted,  the  member  did  the 
same  thing  again,  and  then  said  Samuel  McGill  laid  the 
criminality  of  the  breach  of  promise  on  said  member  of 
Session.  This  slander  was  uttered  on  the  day,  at  the 
place,  and  in  the  presence  of  all  the  persons  mentioned 
in  the  first  charge. 

“The  Reverened  J.  M.  Ervin  and  D.  D.  Wilson  are  cited 
as  witnesses  to  substantiate  the  above  charges. 

“Mr.  Samuel  McGill,  you  are  hereby  cited  to  appear 
before  this  Session  on  Thursday,  the  9th  day  of  June 
next,  to  answer  the  above  charges.” 

Thus,  the  issue  was  clearly  drawn.  The  moving  spirit 
in  the  effort  to  eliminate  dancing  as  an  amusement  and 
a  recreation  in  Indiantown  was  the  Reverend  John  M. 
Ervin,  a  minister  who  had  latelv  come  into  the  com- 
munity  and  who  had  been  trained  under  Puritanic  con¬ 
ditions.  He  was  a  man  of  considerable  force  and  ability 
and  of  a  higher  degree  of  learning  than  the  average  Pres¬ 
byterian  minister  of  his  generation.  He  was  supported 
and  sustained  by  his  Session  of  Elders,  three  out  of 
four  of  whom  were  direct  lineal  descendants  of  the  great 
John  Knox,  of  whom  it  was  said,  “He  never  feared  the 
face  of  any  man.”  Colonel  Wilson,  of  this  board  of  el¬ 
ders,  was  one  of  the  most  uncompromising,  influential, 
and  vigorous  men  of  his  day  in  eastern  South  Carolina. 
He  was  colonel  of  the  Pee  Dee  Regiment  of  militia  and 
State  Senator,  and  held  other  places  of  distinction  and 
power.  The  other  three  members  of  this  Session  of  El¬ 
ders  were  wealthy,  influential,  educated,  and  uncompro¬ 
mising  in  their  views.  From  the  beginning,  it  was  gener¬ 
ally  understood  that  this  was  a  fight  to  the  finish. 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  277 


The  trial  of  Samuel  McGill  before  this  Session  of  El¬ 
ders  continued  for  nearly  four  years,  during  which  time 
it  was  brought  to  the  official  notice  of  the  Presbyterian 
organizations  of  highest  rank  in  this  country  and  at¬ 
tracted  exceeding  interest  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina. 

This  trial  was  conducted  in  strict  compliance  with 
canonical  procedure,  customs,  and  law,  and  the  testimony 
recorded  in  full  in  the  old  Indiantown  Sessional  Record 
book.  This  trial  and  the  records  that  were  made  of  it 
indicate  unmistakably  the  forensic  abilities  of  the  contend¬ 
ing  parties.  Some  of  the  questions  asked  Samuel  Mc¬ 
Gill  and  his  replies  thereto  shoAv  that  it  was  a  case  of 
Greek  meeting  Greek,  and  some  of  them,  when  placed 
within  their  intensely  serious  and  penetrating  religious 
atmosphere,  are  now  very  amusing.  For  instance,  ques¬ 
tion  9  in  the  direct  examination  of  the  prosecuting  wit¬ 
ness,  the  Reverend  John  M.  Ervin,  “Did  you  recommend 
any  religious  exercise  in  preference  to  dancing  as  an 
amusement ?”  Answer,  “I  did,  I  recommended  the  sing¬ 
ing  of  hymns.”  Mrs.  McGill  was  offered  as  a  witness  to 
the  matters  and  things  occurring  at  the  time  Mr.  Mc¬ 
Gill  was  first  rebuked  at  his  home  by  this  Session  for 
dancing.  Question  8  asked  her  was  as  follows:  “Did 
this  conversation  exasperate  Mr.  McGill  and  determine 
him  to  take  higher  grounds  in  favor  of  the  practice,  or 
did  it  shake  his  confidence  and  cause  him  to  vield  the 

t/ 

justification  of  the  amusement?”  Mrs.  McGill’s  answer 
was  “He  remained  much  the  same.” 

On  the  third  charge  against  Mr.  McGill,  the  following 
question  was  asked  Mrs.  McGill :  “Who  was  the  person 
that  extorted  the  promise,  and  from  whom  was  it  ex¬ 
torted?”  Answer,  “George  McCutchen  was  the  person 
that  extorted  it  and  Leonora  Montgomery  was  the  person 
from  whom  it  was  extorted  and  violated  it.”  The  fol¬ 
lowing  is  Miss  Leonora  Montgomery’s  evidence  on  third 
charge.  “Did  George  McCutchen  take  you  out  at  George 


278 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Cooper’s  and  have  a  talk  with  you  respecting  dancing?” 
Answer,  “Yes.”  “Were  you  not  badly  scared?”  Answer, 
“Yes.”  “Did  you  not  make  a  promise  to  him  that  you 
would  not  dance?”  Answer,  “Yes,  I  was  so  scared  I 
hardly  knew  what  I  said.”  “Did  you  break  that  promise 
again?”  Answer,  “Yes.”  “Did  you  impute  the  blame  to 
Mr.  McCutchen?”  Answer,  “He  did  not  attempt  to 
frighten  me  into  a  promise.”  “Did  he  extort  a  promise?” 
Answer,  “No.” 

Samuel  McGill  was  found  guilty  of  the  crime  of  danc¬ 
ing  and  excommunicated.  He  appealed  and  his  appeal 
has  an  interesting  history.  For  all  practical  purposes, 
it  was  not  sustained.  “Whereupon,  the  Moderator  read 
to  him  the  decision  of  that  judicatory  and  asked  him  if 
he  were  ready  to  receive  the  admonition  and  rebuke 
passed  by  this  body  on  him.  The  censure  itself  he  did  not 
absolutely  refuse,  but  gave  the  Session  sufficient  answer 
to  believe  that  being  interrogated  as  to  his  convictions  of 
guilt  or  as  to  his  penitence  that  he  was  still  impenitent. 
The  Moderator  then  proceeded  to  inflict  censure  so  far 
as  the  Session  judged  expedient,  but  in  so  far  as  it  could 
perceive,  no  satisfactory  effect  was  produced  on  the 
offender.” 

The  following  letter  shows  some  of  the  subsequent 
history  in  the  case,  “April  28th,  We,  the  undersigned,  El¬ 
ders  of  the  Indiantown  Church,  having  for  some  years 
past  been  contending  against  a  prevailing  practice  in  the 
Church,  which  we  deem  unchristian,  and  when  bringing 
discipline  to  bear  upon  offending  members,  we  were 
plainly  told  by  a  member  of  full  standing  that  he  knew 
the  mind  of  the  congregation  two  times  better  than  we 
did  and  that  there  were  not  three  individuals  in  Indian¬ 
town  Church  that  would  sustain  our  proceedings,  and, 
having  received  very  little  support  or  countenance  from 
the  congregation,  we  were  induced  to  believe  his  state¬ 
ments  measurably  correct;  and,  moreover,  at  a  house  in 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  279 


the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Church  (the  heads  of  the 
family  in  full  membership)  at  which  a  large  number  of 
the  congregation  attended  a  wedding,  on  the  night  pre¬ 
vious  to  a  three-days’  meeting,  at  which  the  Sacrament  of 
the  Lord’s  Supper  was  administered,  these  practices  were 
introduced  and  persevered  in  through  the  night,  and  to 
much  excess  that  we  believe  it  hopeless  to  proceed  farther 
against  such  determined  opposition,  and  as  we  cannot 
conscientiously  serve  the  Church  as  ruling  elders,  seeing 
the  practices  of  dancing,  excessive  drinking,  and  their 
accompanying  evils  cannot  be  suppressed  by  us,  and  judg¬ 
ing  from  the  efforts  already  made  that  our  influence  is 
insufficient  for  this,  or  to  promote  the  purity  and  edifica¬ 
tion  of  this  Church;  and,  therefore,  after  mature  reflec¬ 
tion,  we  have  unanimously  resolved  that  we  claim  the 
constitutional  privilege  of  ceasing  to  act  as  officers  of 
this  Congregation,  (Confession  of  Faith,  Book  1st,  Chap¬ 
ter  13,  Sec.  6  and  7),  and  now  we  earnestly  pray  the 
Great  Head  of  the  Church,  the  efforts  of  those  who  may 
be  called  to  succeed  us  in  His  Providence,  may  be  accom- 
pained  with  His  Almighty  power  of  blessing  and  make 
theirs  more  successful  than  ours  have  been.”  Signed,  S. 
James  Wilson,  George  Barr,  George  McCutchen,  and 
David  D.  Wilson. 

Early  in  the  following  year,  1835,  the  Indiantown  Con¬ 
gregation  met  and  elected  William  Daniel  and  Samuel 
Scott  as  Elders  of  the  Church,  the  former  board  of  elders 
having  resigned.  The  Reverened  Mr.  Ervin  also  resigned 
as  minister  of  the  congregation.  The  new  board  of  el¬ 
ders  called  the  Reverened  A.  G.  Peden  to  the  charge.  He 
accepted  and  was  installed  as  its  pastor.  Samuel  Mc¬ 
Gill  was  reinstated  in  the  Indiantown  Church  and  died 
in  1840  a  communing  member. 

This  trial  of  Samuel  McGill  for  dancing  was  one  of 
the  most  important  and  far-reaching  events  in  the  his¬ 
tory  of  Williamsburg  County.  It  shows  the  fundamental 


280 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


character  of  the  people  of  Williamsburg,  a  character 
which  has  grown  out  of  the  same  root  for  more  than  a 
thousand  years.  After  this  powerful  session  of  elders 
with  all  the  force  that  Puritanism  could  muster  had  spent 
all  of  its  fury  on  Samuel  McGill,  his  wife  testified  that 
“lie  remained  much  the  same.”  Samuel  McGill  is  Wil¬ 
liamsburg. 

It  may  have  been  expected  that  after  this  trial  of 
Samuel  McGill  for  dancing  had  resulted  in  a  full  and  ef¬ 
fective  defeat  for  the  forces  of  ultra-Puritanism  in  the 
dominant  church  congregation,  Williamsburg  District, 
that  its  people  would  have  reacted  into  a  season  of  riotous 
living  such  as  occurred  during  the  reign  of  the  “Merrie 
Monarch”  in  England,  but  it  was  not  so.  Williamsburg 
remained  “much  the  same.”  The  records  in  old  Indian- 
town  Church  continued  to  show  births,  baptisms,  mar¬ 
riages,  communion  celebrations,  and  session  meetings. 

In  1836,  the  Williamsburg  Church  made  application  to 
the  Indiantown  Church  for  part  of  the  services  of  the 
Reverened  A.  G.  Peden.  Mr.  Peden  was  allowed  for  six 
months  to  preach  twice  each  month  in  the  Williamsburg 
Church. 

On  July  4,  1836,  an  education  society  was  formed  in 
Indiantown  Church.  The  following  officers  were  ap¬ 
pointed :  Reverend  A.  G.  Peden,  president;  Colonel 

David  D.  Wilson,  vice-president;  Dr.  Lee,  recording  sec¬ 
retary;  and  George  Barr,  treasurer.  At  this  time,  a  col¬ 
lection  was  taken  and  from  the  proceeds,  a  substantial 
increase  was  made  in  the  Church  Librarv.  At  the  end 
of  this  year,  the  Church  increased  its  Session  of  Elders 
by  electing  the  following:  Colonel  David  D.  Wilson, 
Captain  Samuel  J.  Snowden,  Alexander  Knox,  and  John 
M.  Fulton.  It  will  be  seen  that  the  Church  regarded  the 
services  of  Colonel  Wilson  of  great  value  and  would 
not  permit  him  to  remain  outside  its  official  body. 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  281 

About  this  time,  the  Indiantown  Church  began  a  pro¬ 
gressive  program.  The  congregation  was  wealthy  and 
inclined  to  liberality.  Collections  were  taken  in  the 
Church  for  various  causes  and  much  contributed  to  edu¬ 
cation  and  to  foreign  missions.  On  February  5,  1837,  the 
ladies  of  this  congregation  gave  $50.00  to  constitute  their 
pastor,  the  Reverend  A.  G.  Peden,  an  honorary  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Southern  Board  of  Foreign  Missions. 

In  1840,  the  Reverend  H.  B.  Cunningham  was  elected 
and  ordained  minister  of  the  Church.  During  the  pas¬ 
torate  of  Mr.  Cunningham,  the  Puritanic  element  in  the 
Church  began  another  campaign  against  dancing,  as 
will  be  seen  from  the  following  entry  of  June  3,  1843: 
“In  as  much  as  some  of  the  members  of  this  Church  are 
charged  by  common  fame  with  dancing,  the  Session  had 
conversed  with  them  privately  and  some  of  them  expressed 
a  desire  to  make  acknowledgment  before  the  Session  and 
it  was  agreed  that  they  should  have  an  opportunity  of 
doing  so.  The  following  persons  appeared,  J.  W.  Scott, 
Miss  Rebecca  C.  Scott,  Miss  Rebecca  E.  Gordon,  and 
Miss  Martha  McCants,  who  acknowledged  that  they  had 
danced,  professed  repentance,  and  promised  to  abstain 
from  this  practice  in  the  future.  Whereupon  it  was  re¬ 
solved  that  they  be  admonished  by  the  moderator,  and 
if  they  submit  to  this  censure  that  their  standing  be  de¬ 
clared  regular.  All  of  this  was  attended  to  immediately. 
Mr.  John  T.  McCants  also  appeared  and  acknowledged 
that  he  had  danced  but  said  that  he  did  not  consider  it 
a  sin  and  therefore  was  not  sorry.  Whereupon  it  was 
unanimously  resolved  that  he  be  suspended  from  the  privi¬ 
leges  of  the  church  until  he  gives  evidence  of  repentance.’’ 

Under  date  of  February  18,  1844,  the  following  entry 
is  found,  “Lisbon,  belonging  to  Mr.  A.  J.  McKnight,  ap¬ 
peared  before  the  Session  on  a  charge  of  adultery,  that 
is,  keeping  two  wives,  both  of  whom  were  present.  Lisbon 
acknowledged  that  he  was  guilty  and  said  he  was  sorry 


282 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


but  did  not  seem  to  be  really  penitent,  and,  of  course,  he 
was  suspended  until  he  gives  satisfactory  evidence  of 
repentance.  Hagar,  belonging  to  J.  M.  Fulton,  one  of  the 
women  implicated,  said  that  whereas  Lisbon  came  to  see 
her,  he  told  her  he  intended  to  make  her  his  wife  again, 
they  having  been  separated  several  years,  and  believing 
him  sincere  in  his  professions,  she  had  lived  with  him 
as  his  wife.  In  view  of  these  statements,  the  Session  did 
not  think  her  case  worthy  of  church  censure.  Candice, 
belonging  to  George  Cooper,  the  other  woman  in  the 
case,  said  that  she  lived  with  Lisbon  as  his  wife  because 
he  solemnly  declared  to  her  that  she  was  his  wife  and 
that  he  had  no  other. 

“Believing  these  statements  to  be  in  the  main  correct, 
the  Session  did  not  feel  that  she  should  be  debarred  from 
church  privileges ;  but,  in  as  much  as  they  had  good  reason 
to  believe  that  she  was  visiting  Lisbon  at  night,  contrary 
to  the  wishes  and  orders  of  her  master,  she  was  required 
to  promise  faithfully  that  she  would  do  so  no  more,  with 
which  requisition  she  complied.  It  was  ordered  that 
Lisbon’s  suspension  should  be  published  to  the  colored 
congregation  this  afternoon.” 

Another  entry  after  the  Reverend  J.  P.  McPherson 
became  pastor  of  the  Church  in  1844  follows :  “Mr.  Mc¬ 
Pherson  stated  to  the  Session  that  he  had  been  requested 
to  baptize  the  children  of  Mr.  James  and  Mrs.  Mary 
Ann  Cooper,  and  that  he  had  declined  complying  with 
that  request  because  one  of  these  children  was  seventeen 
years  old  and  nearly,  if  not  quite,  grown,  and  therefore 
he  deemed  it  proper  that  the  Session  should  determine 
whether  that  member  of  the  family  was  entitled  to  in¬ 
fant  baptism  according  to  our  standards.  Whereupon, 
after  mature  deliberation,  it  was  resolved  that  in  as  much 
as  the  said  child  had  arrived  at  that  period  of  life  when, 
according  to  our  views  of  the  Bible  and  of  our  Confes¬ 
sion  of  Faith,  an  individual  becomes  a  moral  agent,  it 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  283 


is  in  our  judgment  not  proper  that  this  member  of  the 
family  should  be  entitled  to  infant  baptism. ” 

Here  follows  the  entry  of  April  16,  1848.  “A  communi¬ 
cation  was  received  from  Dr.  H.  L.  Byrd,  a  member  of 
our  Church,  dated  Georgetown,  S.  C.,  March  30,  1848, 
giving  a  statement  of  a  date  unpleasant  difficulty  between 
Mr.  Shakleford  and  himself  and  referring  to  the  cor¬ 
respondence  which  had  been  recently  published  in  the 
Winyah  Observer,  and  asking  in  the  judgment,  the  honor 
of  religion,  and  the  interests  of  the  Church  might  seem 
to  require,  and  at  the  same  time  declaring  his  readiness 
to  submit  to  any  censure  that  we  might  think  necessary 
to  inflict  and  likewise  most  deeply  deploring  his  connec¬ 
tion  with  such  an  unfortunate  affair  and  promising  here¬ 
after  to  ‘keep  all  points  guarded  against  difficulties  of 
whatever  characters.’ 

“After  a  careful  reading  of  this  communication  in  con¬ 
nection  with  the  correspondence  referred  to  by  Dr.  Byrd, 
and  having  heard  statements  from  some  members  of  the 
Session,  who  had  learned  all  the  facts  in  the  case  from 
persons  residing  in  Georgetown,  who  may  be  considered 
as  unprejudiced,  the  Session  came  deliberately  to  the 
following  conclusion,  viz. : 

“That  whilst  Dr.  Byrd’s  conduct  is  somewhat  palliated 
by  the  peculiar  circumstances  of  the  case,  yet  we  are  con¬ 
strained  to  feel,  that  he  has  acted  very  improperly  and 
to  an  extent  that  cannot  be  justified  by  the  laws  of 
Christ’s  house;  and  while  we  fully  believe  that  he  has 
committed  a  great  sin,  for  which  he  should  humble  him¬ 
self  in  the  dust  before  God;  yet  in  as  much  as  he  volun¬ 
tarily  brought  his  case  to  the  notice  of  this  body  and 
professes  to  be  sincerely  sorry  for  his  conduct;  and  in 
as  much  as  he  has  given  us  a  promise  to  be  more  guarded 
in  the  future;  whereupon,  it  was  unanimously  resolved 
that  in  as  much  as  the  ends  of  church  discipline  seem 
to  have  been  accomplished,  our  pastor  be  directed  to 


284 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


write  to  Dr.  Byrd,  setting  forth  our  views  on  this  whole 
subject  and  giving  him  such  advice,  counsel,  and  ad¬ 
monition  as  the  case  seems  to  require;  and  if  he  submit 
to  this  decision,  his  standing  in  the  Church  be  declared 
regular.  To  this  decision,  Dr.  Byrd  cheerfully  sub¬ 
mitted.” 

The  following  entry  was  made  for  February  25,  1849. 
“In  entire  accordance  with  the  views  and  wishes  of  Dr. 
S.  D.  McGill,  the  academy  under  his  care  was  received 
under  the  supervision  of  the  Session  as  a  parochial  school ; 
and  it  was  resolved  that  the  pastor  of  the  church  visit 
said  school  frequently  to  catechize,  talk  to,  and  pray  with 
the  pupils  and  that  he  report  its  state  and  prospects  to 
his  body.” 

The  following  entry  was  made  for  July  22,  1849.  “Ses¬ 
sion  met  and  was  constituted  by  prayer.  Present,  J.  P. 
McPherson,  Samuel  Scott,  D.  D.  Wilson,  William  Daniel, 
S.  J.  Snowden,  and  W.  F.  Blakely;  and  took  into  con¬ 
sideration  the  recommendation  of  the  President  of  the 
United  States  that  the  first  Friday  in  August  next  be 
kept  as  a  day  of  fasting,  humiliation,  and  prayer,  calling 
upon  all  religious  denominations  to  abstain  as  far  as 
practicable  from  all  regular  occupations  and  to  assemble 
in  their  respective  places  of  worship,  to  acknowledge  the 
infinite  goodness  of  God  which  has  watched  over  us  as 
a  nation  and  to  implore  His  Almighty  aid  in  His  own 
good  time  to  stay  the  destroying  pestilence  which  is  now 
wasting  our  land. 

“The  Session  highly  approving  the  said  recommenda¬ 
tion,  resolved  that  the  day  be  kept  by  the  members  of 
this  congregation  as  a  day  of  solemn  fasting,  humilia¬ 
tion,  and  prayer,  that  they  abstain  from  their  usual 
avocations,  and  that  they  urge  it  upon  their  servants  to 
attend  on  that  day  the  sanctuary  of  Almighty  God.  It 
was  further  resolved  that  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord’s 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  285 


Supper  be  administered  at  this  place  on  the  Sabbath  suc¬ 
ceeding  the  first  Friday  in  August,  next.” 

This  entry  was  made  for  April  5,  1851.  “A  communi¬ 
cation  was  received  from  W.  F.  Blakely  tendering  his 
resignation  of  the  office  Clerk  of  Session  and  also  resign¬ 
ing  his  office  as  an  acting  elder  of  this  Church  on  the 
ground  of  his  unacceptability  to  a  portion  of  the  church. 
Whereupon,  it  was  resolved :  1st.  that  his  resignation  of 
the  clerk’s  office  be  accepted  and  that  the  moderator  be 
requested  to  act  as  temporary  clerk.  On  motion  of 
Colonel  D.  D.  Wilson,  it  was  resolved:  2nd.  that  his 
resignation  of  the  office  of  ruling  elder  be  accepted.  On 
motion  of  Colonel  Wilson,  it  Avas  also  resolved :  3rd.  that 
his  letter  to  the  Session  be  inserted  in  our  Session  Book. 
Session  adjourned,  closed  with  prayer. 

“April  6th.  An  extract  of  W.  F.  Blakely’s  letter  to 
the  Session  of  Indiantown  Church.  Gentlemen :  From 
a  sense  of  duty  which  I  owe  to  myself  and  possibly  the 
Church  over  which  you  so  worthily  preside.  I  am  con¬ 
strained  to  tender  to  you  my  resignation  as  Clerk  of  the 
Session.  This  step  has  not  been  taken  hastily  or  unad¬ 
visedly;  but  after  mature  deliberation  and  much  prayer 
for  guidance  on  the  issue.  It  is  not  that  I  have  ever 
thought  that  the  duties  it  devolves  on  the  incumbent  are 
onerous  or  burdesome;  however  responsible  they  may  be, 
that  has  induced  me  to  arrive  at  this  conclusion.  No,  far 
from  it.  On  the  other  hand,  I  have  ever  felt  gratified  when 
it  has  been  in  my  power  to  contribute  so  far  as  in  me 
lay  to  the  general  good  of  either  Church  or  State. 

“I  hold  the  maxim,  no  man  should  live  for  himself 
alone,  but  causes  of  which  none  of  you  are  ignorant  and, 
of  course,  unnecessary  for  me  here  to  enumerate  or  men¬ 
tion  have  influenced  me  in  this  matter.  When  an  indi¬ 
vidual,  however  exalted  he  may  be,  or  however  humble 
be  bis  condition,  is  called  upon  by  others  to  perform 
services  of  any  kind  and  fails  to  give  the  necessary  satis- 


286 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


faction  to  those  by  whom  he  is  employed  or  who  may  be 
disagreeable  to  all  or  any  of  those  with  whom  he  is  as¬ 
sociated,  he  should  forthwith  decline  his  position  and 
give  way  to  some  more  desirable  than  himself,  is  a  duty 
so  plain  that  it  requires  no  sophistry  to  prove.  Being 
convinced  of  the  justness  of  my  argument,  I  cannot  in 
reason  expect  to  exempt  myself  from  doing  that  which 
I  think  to  be  the  duty  of  another.  I  regret  exceedingly 
that  circumstances  compel  me  to  adopt  the  course  I  have ; 
and  that  I  no  longer  can  consistently  cooperate  with  you, 
nor  share  with  you  the  responsibility.  With  my  best 
wishes  for  you  individually  and  for  the  Church  over 
which  you  preside,  I  pray  God  to  have  you  and  it  in 
His  holy  keeping  and  to  build  it  up  and  strengthen  it 
and  deliver  me  from  sowing  the  seeds  of  discord  and  con¬ 
fusion  amongst  His  people.  I  now  respectfully  take  my 
leave  and  again  repeat  that  you  have  my  best  wishes 
and  shall  ever  pray  that  the  Almighty  disposer  of  all 
events  will  ever  bless  you  and  graciously  smile  upon  your 
labors.  Hoping  you  may  select  from  your  respected  body 
some  one  better  qualified  to  discharge  the  duties  of 
Clerk  of  the  Session,  I  remain  very  respectfully,  W.  F. 
Blakely.” 

Mr.  Blakely  is  still  remembered  as  Squire  Blakely  of 
Indiantown  Church.  He  was  Clerk  of  the  Indiantown 
Session  of  Elders  for  many  years  and  his  handwriting 
makes  the  pages,  whereon  he  placed  the  records,  strik¬ 
ingly  beautiful. 

Partly  from  the  Session  records  and  partly  from 
abundant  tradition,  it  seems  that  Nero,  a  slave,  belong¬ 
ing  to  Captain  S.  -J.  Snowden,  and  a  member  of  the 
Indiantown  Church,  gave  the  learned  and  austere  Ses¬ 
sion  food  for  thought.  Nero  was  being  tried  for  stealing 
two  of  his  master’s  hogs,  killing  them,  and  concealing  and 
eating  the  meat.  Nero  confessed  his  “crime”  and  thus 
sought  to  excuse  himself.  “It  wuz  dis  way,  Massuh 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  287 


Colonel  Wilson.  Nero  wen’  to  ole  marster  and  axes  ole 
marster  for  sum  meat.  Ole  marster  he  say  ‘Nero,  you 
go  git  sum  meat  from  ole  missus.’  Nero  he  wen  to  ole 
missus  and  she  say  ‘Nero,  you  have  ter  git  dat  meat  from 
ole  marster!’  Den  Nero  wen  to  de  Lord,  case  Nero 
wanted  sum  meat.  De  Lord  say  ‘Nero,  old  marster  got 
plenty  ob  hawgs  down  dar  in  de  swamp.  Ole  Nero  is 
marster’s  nigger  and  dem  is  marster ’s  hawgs.’  Nero 
wen  down  to  de  swamp  dat  nite  and  killed  two  ob 
marster’s  hawgs  and  et  dem  up.”  About  that  time,  the 
Moderator  of  the  Session  looked  into  the  eyes  of  its 
several  members  and,  without  waiting  for  a  word  from 
them,  said,  “Nero,  you  go  home.” 

In  1852,  the  Reverend  Daniel  Baker,  D.  D.,  held  a 
protracted  meeting  at  Indiantown  and  one  of  the  results 
was  that  the  following  persons  were  admitted  to  full 
communion :  William  J.  Graham,  Robert  F.  Blakely, 
J.  M.  Graham,  Samuel  J.  Graham,  E.  P.  Blakely,  Eliza¬ 
beth  L.  Blakely,  Sarah  J.  Blakely,  William  S.  McCon¬ 
nell,  L.  M.  McConnell,  Robert  M.  Cooper,  Thomas  Cooper, 
Samuel  Cooper,  James  McCutchen,  Thomas  M.  Britton, 
Janet  Cooper,  Amelia  Burgess,  Mary  Nesmith,  Joanna 
Nesmith,  Sarah  B.  Hanna,  and  Joseph  Fulmore. 

On  December  26,  1852,  the  following  persons  were 
granted  certificates  of  dismission  for  the  purpose  of  con¬ 
necting  themselves  with  the  White  Oak  Church :  Minto 
W.  McGill,  Sarah  Elizabeth  McGill,  James  Burgess, 
Janet  D.  Burgess,  Amelia  E.  Burgess,  Andrew  J.  Murphy, 
Mary  Ann  Murphy,  Mary  M.  C.  Burgess,  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
J.  B.  Cooper,  Mrs.  Thermutas  Cooper,  and  Mrs.  E.  W. 
Montgomery.  At  the  same  time,  Messrs.  George,  John, 
Robert,  and  S.  G.  Cooper  asked  for  certificates  to  unite 
with  the  White  Oak  Church,  but  these  men  were  under 
the  charge  of  “fighting”  some  time  previous  and  their 
certificates  were  not  granted  at  this  time. 


288 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


This  fight  was  between  the  Messrs.  Cooper  and  Messrs. 
S.  J.  Snowden,  Jr.,  Italy  Wilson,  and  others,  opposing. 
It  seems  that  both  sides  in  the  fight  had  acted  strictly 
according  to  the  Irish  code  and  the  whole  of  Williams¬ 
burg  District  became  interested.  The  Indiantown  Ses¬ 
sion  of  Elders  investigated  the  matter  for  a  long  time 
and  finally  decided  that  it  could  not  arrive  at  a  just  and 
righteous  decision  and  dismissed  the  case  against  the 
Messrs.  Cooper  and  they  were  given  certificates  for 
uniting  with  the  White  Oak  Church. 

On  February  24,  1856,  J.  C.  Dve,  a  member  of  the 
Indiantown  Church,  was  charged  before  the  Session  as 
neglecting  the  ordinances  of  the  Church;  secondly,  selling 
ardent  spirits;  third,  permitting  intemperance  at  his  store, 
and  cited  to  appear  before  the  Session  for  trial.  Mr. 
Dye  appeared  before  the  Session  and  confessed  that  he 
had  sold  ardent  spirits  and  that  he  did  not  regard  the 
selling  of  whiskey  as  wholly  sinful  in  itself  but  led  to 
sinful  or  bad  consequences.  Mr.  Dye,  having  promised 
to  abstain  from  selling  ardent  spirits  in  the  future  ex¬ 
cept  for  medicinal  purposes  and  likewise  having  ex¬ 
pressed  his  sorrow  for  the  past  error,  was,  after  being  ad¬ 
monished  by  the  Moderator,  restored  to  his  former  stand¬ 
ing  in  the  Church.  This  is  the  first  recorded  church  op¬ 
position  to  the  sale  of  whiskey  in  Williamsburg  District. 
Until  this  time,  whiskey  had  been  sold  by  practically  all 
merchants  and  without  criticism  by  the  religious  bodies 
of  the  district.  Some  time  prior  to  this,  a  chapter  of 
the  “Sons  of  Temperance”  in  the  Indiantown  community 
had  been  organized  and  this  trial  of  Mr.  Dye  was  one  of 
its  results. 

During  the  late  fifties,  many  of  the  men  who  had  been 
leaders  in  the  Indiantown  Congregation  for  more  than 
half  a  century,  began  resigning  their  offices  in  the  Church 
and  soon  thereafter  passing  away.  The  first  of  these 
was  Samuel  Scott,  who  wrote,  “My  age  and  infirmity 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIAN1SM  289 


admonish  me  that  I  can  be  of  little  or  no  service  to  the 
Church  by  continuing  to  act  any  longer,  now  in  my 
seventy-eighth  year,  and  I  therefore  tender  my  resigna¬ 
tion  as  an  Elder  and  Clerk  of  the  Session.”  Later, 
Captain  S.  J.  Snowden  was  deprived  of  the  power  of 
speech  by  a  stroke  of  paralysis  and  he  resigned.  Within 
a  few  years,  William  Daniel,  James  McCutchen,  George 
Barr,  and  Captain  R.  H.  Wilson,  all  men  of  long  and 
valuable  service  in  the  Church,  died. 

Robert  Strong  united  with  the  Williamsburg  Presby¬ 
terian  Church  in  1799,  and  in  1830  was  the  oldest  living 
communicant  in  point  of  church  membership.  There  were 
then  living  the  following  members  of  the  Church  who 
had  been  enrolled  prior  to  1822 :  Daniel  Frierson,  Jane 
Frierson,  Henry  Frierson,  Martha  Mouzon,  Nancy  Mou- 
zon,  Elizabeth  McGill,  V.  Tyson  Fulton,  James  Bradley, 
Cecelia  Bradley,  Mary  S.  Wilson,  Ezra  Greene,  Eliza 
Fulton,  Joseph  Scott,  Sr.,  Mary  Scott,  Sarah  Bradley, 
Martha  Greene,  Samuel  Fluitt,  Catherine  McLean,  Caro¬ 
line  Scott,  Amelia  Scott,  D.  R.  McClary,  Ann  McClary, 
Charlotte  Fleming,  Elizabeth  Knox,  William  Douglas, 
Mary  H.  Duke,  E.  M.  Cantey,  Mary  McClary,  Elizabeth 
Tisdale,  William  Lifrage,  Nancy  Lifrage,  Mary  Watson, 
Francis  Gowdy,  Martha  Barrineau,  Joseph  Chandler, 
Susannah  Chandler,  Sarah  Salters,  R.  G.  Ferrell,  Elvira 
Chandler,  and  Martha  Graham. 

The  following  joined  the  Church  during  the  ministry 
of  the  Reverend  John  Covert  in  1822:  Eliza  Brockinton, 
John  Murphy,  Margaret  Strong,  Margaret  Scott,  H.  D. 
Shaw,  Agnes  Shaw,  William  Camlin,  Elizabeth  Camlin, 
Mrs.  M.  Davis,  William  G.  Flagler,  and  Mary  Flagler. 

The  following  joined  the  Williamsburg  Church  after 
the  union  of  the  Williamsburg  and  Bethel  Congrega¬ 
tions  had  been  effected  in  1828,  and  during  the  ministry 
of  the  Reverend  John  M.  Ervin;  Samuel  R.  Mouzon, 
Sarah  Devers,  J.  M.  Fulton,  James  E.  Fulton,  T.  D. 


290 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Singleton,  Hester  Singleton,  M.  M.  Singleton,  Susannah 
Staggers,  Nancy  Witherspoon,  William  R.  Scott,  J.  T. 
Scott,  Sarah  Murphy,  Emerline  Burrows,  Sarah  E.  Mc¬ 
Clary,  D.  S.  McClary,  M.  M.  McClary,  J.  H.  Fleming, 
S.  A.  Knox,  Joseph  A.  Scott,  William  D.  Scott,  Martha 
Troy,  G.  H.  Chandler,  John  A.  Gordon,  Margaret  Smith, 
Elizabeth  Douglas,  John  Watson,  Emma  Watson,  Isaac 
Nelson,  Jr.,  Rebecca  Scott,  George  Barrineau,  Priscilla 
Barrineau,  Caroline  Troy,  Albert  Scott,  A.  F.  Graham, 
J.  C.  Graham,  Jane  Miller,  John  Knox,  and  S.  E.  Graham. 

Mr.  Ervin  gave  most  of  his  attention  during  his  four 
years  service  in  Williamsburg  to  the  Indiantown  Con¬ 
gregation.  However,  from  the  above,  it  will  be  seen  that 
a  large  number  of  substantial  members  were  added  to  the 
Williamsburg  Church  during  his  ministry. 

The  Reverend  Alexander  Mitchell,  a  native  of  Argyle- 
shire,  Scotland,  succeeded  Mr.  Ervin  in  1832.  Mr.  Mitch¬ 
ell  contracted  fever  a  few  weeks  after  his  arrival  in 
Kingstree  and  died  November  4,  1832.  He  was  buried 
near  Mr.  Covert  in  the  Williamsburg  Cemetery. 

The  Reverend  John  McEwen  succeeded  Mr.  Mitchell 
as  minister  of  Williamsburg  Church,  but  he  served  only 
a  few  months  when  he  died  on  Mav  31,  1833. 

In  February,  1835,  the  Williamsburg  Church  secured 
the  Reverend  George  H.  W.  Petrie,  a  native  of  Charleston 
and  a  graduate  of  the  College  of  Charleston  and  of  the 
Theological  Seminary,  as  its  minister.  He  served  four 
vears.  The  officers  of  the  Church  at  that  time  were, 
Elders,  Daniel  Frierson,  Isaac  Nelson,  Henry  D.  Shaw, 
David  McClary,  and  James  E.  Fulton.  Mr.  Fulton  was 
clerk  of  the  Session  and  Mr.  Nelson  treasurer  of  the  con¬ 
gregation.  A  great  many  persons  united  with  the  Church 
during  his  ministry. 

The  Session  Records  of  the  Williamsburg  Church  from 
the  beginning  of  the  minstry  of  the  Reverend  A.  G. 
Peden  in  1839,  have  been  preserved.  Mr.  Peden’s  Session 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  291 


of  Elders  was  composed  of  the  following  men :  Isaac  Nel¬ 
son,  Daniel  Frierson,  H.  DL  Shaw,  James  E.  Fulton,  E. 
W.  Greene,  W.  Camlin,  Joseph  Chandler,  and  John  A. 
Gordon. 

During  the  ministry  of  Mr.  Peden,  the  Session  of  El¬ 
ders  had  one  trial  of  considerable  interest.  On  May  24, 
1844,  the  Reverend  Philip  Pearson  preferred  charges  of 
slander  and  defamation  against  Elder  Daniel  Frierson. 
The  Moderator  charged  the  members  of  the  Session  “re¬ 
garding  their  characters  as  Judges  of  the  Court  of  Jesus 
Christ  and  the  solemn  duty  in  which  they  were  about  to 
come.” 

The  specifications  were  these:  “Mr.  Frierson  had  in 
a  written  communication  to  Reverend  P.  Pearson,  ac¬ 
cused  said  Pearson ;  first,  with  the  crime  of  removing 
his  neighbor’s  land  mark;  and,  second,  with  having  re¬ 
sisted  the  civil  law.”  Elder  Frierson  plead  not  guilty. 
The  witnesses  were  then  called  and  sworn  and  the  testi¬ 
mony  heard  on  both  sides.  The  parties  discussed  their 
cases.  Elder  Frierson  was  found  guilty  and  excommuni¬ 
cated.  Some  time  after  this,  Mr.  Frierson  wrote  a  re¬ 
markable  letter  to  this  Session  applying  for  reinstate¬ 
ment  in  church  membership.  He  confessed  repentance 
and  declared  to  the  Session  that  he  had  from  his  youth 
up  walked  in  the  straight  and  narrow  way,  that  he  had 
diligently  studied  many  of  the  prescribed  theological 
works  of  that  period,  and  that  he  had  an  earnest  desire 
to  enjoy  communion  with  the  Church.  Mr.  Frierson  was 
again  received  into  the  Church. 

The  Reverend  James  A.  Wallace  became  minister  of  the 
Williamsburg  Church  on  May  20,  1848.  Mr.  Wallace 
came  here  from  Cabarrus  Countv,  North  Carolina,  where 
he  was  born  a  son  of  the  Reverend  Jedekiali  Wallace, 
himself  a  Presbyterian  preacher.  When  Mr.  Wallace  took 
charge  of  the  Williamsburg  Church,  it  had  renewed  its 
youth  and  had  become  a  leading  factor  in  the  social, 


292 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


political,  and  religious  life  of  Williamsburg  District. 
Soon  after  his  arrival,  he  married  Miss  Mary  Flagler,  a 
daughter  of  one  of  the  most  prominent  families  in  the 
district.  When  he  began  his  ministry  here,  he  firmly  be¬ 
lieved  that  Calvinism  was  the  Key  to  the  Kingdom  of 
Heaven,  and  that  the  Presbyterian  Church  held  this  Key 
by  the  election  of  Almighty  God. 

Mr.  Wallace  knew  that  Cleland  Belin  had  built  the 
beautiful  Black  Mingo  Baptist  Church  in  1843.  This 
church,  still  standing  near  where  Willtown  once  was, 
abandoned  and  open,  is  almost  as  beautiful  and  entire  and 
clean  as  when  Mr.  Belin  had  it  dedicated  to  God.  It  is 
a  wonderful  piece  of  workmanship,  a  fit  place  for  God 
to  dwell.  But  when  one  now  looks  above  its  sacred 
altar  expecting  to  see  the  Burning  Bush,  his  eye  will 
fall  on  leather  winged  bats  clinging  to  its  frescoed  walls. 
Mr.  Wallace  knew  that  Cleland  Belin  wore  a  black  silk 
gown  whenever  he  attended  this  church  on  official  duty 
as  its  Senior  Deacon ;  that  he  was  “faultily  faultless,  icily 
regular,  splendidly  swell that  his  personality  dominated 
the  Church  and  the  Black  Mingo  people  regarded  him 
with  superstitious  awe;  and  that  the  Presbyterians  need 
not  fear  the  “Belin  Church.”  Mr.  Wallace  did  not  see 
that  the  same  cancerous  Calvinism  with  which  he  was 
about  to  revaccinate  his  Williamsburg  Congregation  was 
that  very  same  virus  out  of  which  came  the  bats  and  owls 
to  the  Belin  Black  Mingo  Baptist  Church. 

Mr.  Wallace  learned  soon  after  he  came  to  Williams¬ 
burg  that  Francis  Asbury,  Lemuel  Andrews,  John  Bunch, 
William  Capers,  John  Dix,  Henry  Hill  Durant,  John 
Gamewell,  Hope  Hull,  George  Huggins,  William  Ken¬ 
nedy,  Cornelius  McLeod,  Hugh  Ogburn,  John  R.  Pickett, 
Frederick  Rush,  Isaac  Smith,  Alexander  Walker,  Henry 
Willis,  and  other  Methodist  circuit  riders  had  been  com¬ 
ing  this  way  for  more  than  half  a  century  and  had  been 
preaching  the  Fatherhood  of  God  and  the  Fellowship  of 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  293 


Man;  that  Love  fulfilled  the  Law;  that  Jesus  Christ 
came  to  show  Man  his  part  in  the  Way  to  Life.  The  two 
little  Methodist  Churches,  one  at  Ebenezer  and  the  other 
at  Suttons,  did  not  disturb  Mr.  Wallace.  It  was  the 
Arminian  spirit  that  was  touching  the  Rock  of  Calvinism 
in  Williamsburg  and  making  Healing  Waters  to  flow. 

Mr.  Wallace  was  a  rigorous  Calvinist.  He  proclaimed 
with  a  Crusader’s  zeal  the  infallibility  of  the  Philadel¬ 
phia  Confession  of  Faith  and  honestly  believed  it  the 
most  perfect  theological  statement  in  existence.  Some 
quotations  from  this  Confession  of  Faith  show  its  nature : 
“God  hath  decreed  in  Himself  from  all  Eternity,  by  the 
most  wise  and  holy  Councel  of  his  own  will,  all  things 
whatsoever  comes  to  passe,”  Chapter  III,  Section  1; 
again  in  Section  III :  “By  the  decree  of  God,  for  the 
manifestation  of  His  glory,  some  men  and  Angels  are 
predestinated,  or  foreordained,  to  Eternal  Life,  through 
Jesus  Christ,  to  the  praise  of  His  glorious  grace;  others 
being  left  to  act  in  their  sin  to  their  just  condemnation, 
to  the  praise  of  His  glorious  justice.”  Section  IV :  “These 
Angels  and  Men  thus  predestinated,  and  foreordained, 
are  particularly,  and  unchangeably  designed,  and  their 
number  so  certain,  and  definite,  that  it  cannot  be  either 
increased,  or  diminished.”  Again  in  Chapter  X,  it  said, 
“Those  whom  God  has  predestinated  unto  Life,  He  is 
pleased,  in  His  appointed,  and  acceptable  time,  effectually 
to  call  by  his  word,  and  Spirit ....  This  effectual  call  is 
of  God’s  free  and  special  grace  alone,  not  from  anything 
at  all  foreseen  in  man,  nor  from  any  power,  or  agency  in 
the  creature,  co-working  with  his  special  grace,  the  crea¬ 
ture  being  wholly  passive  therein,  being  dead  in  sins  and 
trespasses.  ...  Elect  infants  dying  in  infancy,  are  regen¬ 
erated  and  saved  by  Christ  through  the  Spirit.... So 
also  are  other  elect  persons,  who  are  uncapable  of  being 
outwardly  called  by  the  Ministry  of  the  Word.”  This 
was  the  doctrine  on  which  nearly  all  of  the  people  of 


294 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Williamsburg  had  been  brought  up  and  this  was  the 
foundation  on  which  Mr.  Wallace  planned  to  circumscribe 
and  include  the  District  of  Williamsburg. 

No  knight  under  the  banner  of  the  Cross  ever  charged 
the  Moslem  guarded  walls  about  the  Holy  Sepulchre  more 
valiantly  than  did  Mr.  Wallace  that  silent  growing  Ar- 
minianism  in  Williamsburg.  He  preached  Calvinism 
more  eloquently  than  Williamsburg  had  theretofore  heard. 
He  was  a  strong  man.  Somehow,  Arminianism  kept  grow¬ 
ing.  The  more  furious  the  onslaughts  of  Mr.  Wallace 
the  stronger  Arminianism  grew.  Mr.  Wallace,  one  time, 
almost  lost  faith  in  himself.  It  seemed  that  the  more 
fervently  he  preached  and  the  more  earnestly  his  congre^ 
gation  listened  the  larger  Arminianism  loomed.  So,  in 
1852,  after  great  effort,  he  secured  the  Reverend  Daniel 
Baker,  D.  D.,  probably  the  most  powerful  Presbyterian 
evangelist  of  his  age,  to  conduct  a  series  of  meetings  at 
the  Williamsburg  Church. 

“The  meeting  commenced  on  the  2nd  Sabbath,  the  8th 
of  August,  and  continued  nine  days;  the  fruits  of  which 
were  fifty-nine  additions,  and  the  conversion  of  some  of 
the  old  members,  one  of  whom  is  now  a  Ruling  Elder. 
A  few  of  these  persons  have  apostatized ;  but  in  justice  to 
the  character  of  the  work,  not  a  greater  proportion  than 
of  those  who  have  been  received  from  time  to  time.  The 
character  of  our  congregation  is  someAvhat  peculiar — par¬ 
taking  more  than  is  usual  of  the  feelings  and  habits  of 
the  old  country.  And  those  who  have  proved  unworthy 
were  mostly  such  as  had  been  but  little  impressed,  if  at 
all,  by  Dr.  Baker’s  preaching.  They  came  to  the  meeting 
near  the  close,  and  united,  I  fear,  only  for  the  purpose 
of  obtaining  baptism  for  their  children,  and  other  church 
privileges.  But  not  the  least  of  the  benefits  arising  from 
Dr.  Baker’s  visit  was  the  healing  of  the  old  schism  in  the 
Indiantown  Church.  Though  a  few  families  left,  never 
to  return,  in  consequence  of  Mr.  McPherson’s  departure, 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  295 


those  who  had  been  worshipping  with  us  returned,  and 
the  Church  is  now  prospering.  We  have  still  received 
some  valuable  members  from  time  to  time.”  (Letter  of 
Reverend  James  A.  Wallace,  of  December  26,  1855.) 

The  members  who  united  with  the  Church  were  as 
follows:  John  Armstrong,  James  Tisdale,  N.  G.  Rich, 

D.  M.  Mason,  S.  C.  Murphy,  T.  J.  China,  J.  C.  Matthews, 
John  Murphy,  Robert  W.  Fluitt,  Sam  Strong,  William 
Kinder,  Samuel  M.  Matthews,  John  P.  Bradley,  P.  O. 
Fulton,  T.  J.  Strong,  Asa  E.  Brown,  M.  F.  McCottry,  S. 

E.  Fulton,  Thomas  M.  Fulton,  J.  N.  Matthews,  John 
Wheeler,  S.  J.  Montgomery,  D.  Dukes,  William  McCul¬ 
lough,  S.  McBride  Scott,  Theodore  M.  Lifrage,  Calvin  Mc- 
Clary,  James  S.  Brockinton,  Mrs.  E.  S.  Armstrong, 
Leonora  McClary,  Mary  S.  Fulton,  Agnes  Strong,  Susan 
Strong,  Rebecca  Matthews,  Eleanor  Fluitt,  Mary  J.  China, 
Mary  McClary,  Margaret  Fluitt,  Adelaide  Dukes,  Virginia 
Brockinton,  Sarah  S.  Boyd,  Mrs.  Daniel  Jones,  Miss 
Margaret  Tisdale,  Miss  Elizabeth  Tisdale,  Elizabeth 
Staggers,  Isabella  Dukes,  Agnes  Murphy,  Mary  Patter¬ 
son,  Jannet  E.  Murphy,  Adeline  S.  E.  Graham,  Sarah  C. 
McClary,  Mary  Lifrage,  Jane  McClary,  Margaret  Strong, 
Martha  McCutchen,  Franklin  Boyd,  Duncan  M.  Mouzon, 
and  Robert  McCants.  Most  of  these  members  were  heads 
of  families  and  leading  citizens  in  this  community.  After 
this  meeting  and  the  one  at  Indiantown  held  by  Dr. 
Baker,  which  had  similar  results  in  that  community,  Mr. 
Wallace  realized  that  the  Presbyterian  Church  had  as 
communing  members  nearly  all  of  the  influential  people 
in  the  district.  He  looked  on  the  field  and  called  it  fair. 

That  same  year  the  Harmony  Presbytery  met  in  Sum¬ 
ter.  Mr.  Wallace  attended.  He  was  full  of  his  conquest 
of  Williamsburg.  He  told  the  other  Presbyterian  minis¬ 
ters  how  complete  it  was  and  they  congratulated  him. 
He  was  a  shining  light  in  that  Presbytery.  The  Modera¬ 
tor  called  on  him  to  lead  in  prayer.  In  this  prayer,  he 


296 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


thanked  God  that  he  had  been  instrumental  in  prevent¬ 
ing  the  organization  of  a  Methodist  Church  in  the  town 
of  Kingstree.  A.  Isaac  McKnight,  one  of  the  members 
of  the  Williamsburg  Church,  was  present  and  heard  that 
prayer. 

Mr.  McKnight  was  a  lawyer  and  one  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  Williamsburg  District.  Mr.  Wallace’s  prayer 
set  him  to  thinking.  Mr.  McKnight  had  heard  the  circuit 
riders  preach  and  realized  that  they  proclaimed  a  doc¬ 
trine  that  worked  in  making  good  citizens  in  this  world 
as  well  as  sanctified  saints  for  that  which  is  to  come. 
Some  time  thereafter,  Mr.  McKnight  talked  over  this 
matter  with  some  of  the  influential  men  of  Kingstree  and 
of  the  surrounding  country  and  they  agreed  that  a 
Methodist  Church  in  Kingstree  would  prove  a  progressive 
factor  in  the  community. 

On  January  31,  1853,  the  following  deed  was  given 
and  recorded  at  Book  G,  page  410,  Williamsburg  County 
Registry:  Alexander  Isaac  McKnight  “for  and  in  con¬ 
sideration  of  the  regard  which  I  have  and  bear  towards 
the  Christian  religion  and  also  for  and  in  consideration 
of  the  sum  of  $1.00  to  me  in  hand  paid  by  Thomas  R. 
Mouzon,  Samuel  E.  Graham,  James  H.  Stone,  William  G. 
McCallister,  and  Thomas  S.  Lesesne,  trustees  of  the  Metho¬ 
dist  Episcopal  Church  of  the  village  of  Kingstree,  one 
town  lot  consisting  of  one-half  acre  of  land  bounded  on 
the  North  by  the  lands  of  the  said  Alexander  McKnight 
and  running  seventy  yards  or  two  hundred  ten  feet  on 
said  lands;  on  the  East  by  the  street  leading  to  Broad 
Swamp  bridges;  on  the  South  by  the  street  which  was 
parallel  with  the  Main  and  Broad  Street  of  the  said 
Village  of  Kingstree;  on  the  West  by  the  lands  of  the 
said  Alexander  McKnight  and  running  thirty-five  yards 
or  one  hundred  five  feet  on  said  land.  Said  land  being 
in  the  shape  of  a  parallelogram  whose  North  and  South 
lines  are  parallel  and  each  one  hundred  five  feet  in 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  297 


length,  all  of  whose  angles  are  right  angles;  said  half¬ 
acre  of  land  or  lot  is  known  and  designated  in  the  town 
plat  of  the  King’s  Tree  by  No.  159,  according  to  the 
survey  made  of  the  said  town  of  Williamsburg  on  the 
25tli  day  of  August,  A.  D.  1737,  by  Anthony  Williams, 
D.  S.,  in  obedience  to  an  order  of  the  Honorable  Thomas 
Broughton,  then  Lieutenant  Governor,  bearing  the  date 
of  the  8th  day  of  August,  1735.” 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Kingstree  was 
built  on  the  lot  donated  by  Mr.  McKnight  that  same  year. 

B.  P.  Pendergrass  had  a  sawmill  near  Kingstree  and 
supplied  the  lumber;  John  Ervin  Scott  of  Cedar  Swamp 
had  a  force  of  carpenters  on  his  plantation  and  they 
built  the  church.  That  same  year,  under  the  leadership 
of  John  Ervin  Scott,  Joseph  B.  Chandler,  and  Dr.  John 

C.  Williams,  the  Cedar  Swamp  Methodist  Church  was 
organized  and  built.  Messrs.  Newsom  and  Price  erected 
at  the  same  time  the  Methodist  Church  on  the  Green 
road  about  four  miles  west  of  the  present  town  of  Cades. 
The  Rough  Branch  Methodist  Church,  several  miles  to¬ 
ward  Indiantown  from  Cades,  was  built  by  John  Frierson 
and  others.  A  great  many  substantial  men  in  Williams¬ 
burg,  whose  ancestors  had  been  Presbyterians  for  gem 
erations,  united  with  these  churches  and  supported  them. 

Very  soon  after  this  time,  William  Staggers  donated 
to  John  L.  Rollins,  James  M.  Staggers,  John  G.  Pressley, 
and  William  Bradham,  lot  No.  401  in  the  Village  of 
Kingstree,  bounded  “on  the  South  by  Main  Street  lead¬ 
ing  from  the  bridge  across  Black  River;  West  by  Black 
River;  and  on  all  other  sides  by  lands  owned  by  said 
William  Staggers”  and  containing  one-half  acre  of  land 
“in  trust  to  permit  and  allow  the  Baptist  denomination 
to  which  the  said  John  L.  Rollins,  James  M.  Staggers, 
John  G.  Pressley,  and  William  Bradham  now  belong  to 
enter  upon  and  build  a  Church  or  meeting  house  for  the 
use  of  the  said  denomination  and  to  permit  the  members 


298 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


of  the  Baptist  Church,  which  shall  at  the  said  meeting 
house  regularly  worship,  and  for  the  exclusive  control 
of  the  said  meeting  house  according  to  the  usages  and 
customs  of  the  Baptist  denomination.”  It  is  also  pro¬ 
vided  in  this  deed  that  should  the  Kingstree  Baptist  Con¬ 
gregation  desire  at  any  time  thereafter  to  change  the 
location  of  its  house  of  worship,  that  the  congregation 
might  sell  this  land  donated  by  Mr.  Staggers  and  use  the 
proceeds  in  building  another  church.  This  deed  was 
dated  October  25,  1856. 

The  Baptists  of  Kingstree  immediately  erected  a  church 
on  this  lot  and  there  worshipped  until  the  church 
was  moved  to  its  present  site  on  Academy  Street.  The 
lot  on  the  river  whereon  the  first  Baptist  Church  was 
built  was  used  as  a  burying  ground  for  a  great  many 
years,  and  is  now  known  as  the  old  Baptist  Cemetery. 
Twenty-one  Confederate  soldiers,  who  died  here  during 
the  War  between  the  Sections,  are  buried  in  one  plot 
there  and  a  modest  monument  stands  to  their  memory. 

Some  other  Baptist  Churches  were  organized  and  built 
in  the  district  about  this  time.  Ebenezer  Cockfield  gave 
an  acre  of  land  on  the  west  side  of  Lynch’s  Creek  on  the 
road  to  Indiantown  in  1855  to  the  Baptist  Church  which 
was  there  erected.  Aaron  F.  Graham  conveyed  on  May 
11,  1856,  “one  acre  of  ground  lying  on  the  public  road 
leading  to  the  Williamsburg  Court  House  in  the  fork  of 
two  branches  including  the  new  Baptist  Church  or  meet¬ 
ing  house  near  the  said  Aaron  Graham’s  present  resi¬ 
dence.”  Charles  McCallister  and  S.  C.  McCutchen  deeded 
to  M.  S.  Feagin,  Deacon,  in  behalf  of  the  Midway  Baptist 
Church  “one  piece  of  land  containing  one  acre,  a  part 
of  the  Fullwood  survey,  lying  in  the  Kingstree  Swamp 
on  the  waters  of  Black  River,  one  side  being  on  the  public 
road  known  as  the  Green  road  at  or  about  Brown’s 
Avenue.”  This  was  in  October,  1860. 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  299 


In  1857,  the  Reverend  James  A.  Wallace  preached  a 
sermon  in  his  church  at  Kingstree  which  in  reality  was 
a  powerful  oration  seeking  to  convince  his  auditors  that 
Williamsburg  had  been  predestined  for  Presbyterians 
from  the  foundation  of  the  world,  and  that  no  other  re¬ 
ligious  denominations  had  any  rights  therein.  In  this 
sermon,  he  outlined  the  tradition  of  Williamsburg  Town¬ 
ship,  and  purported  to  give  quotations  from  grants  of 
King  George  to  the  Presbyterian  Church,  and  asserted 
that  grants  were  made  herein  only  to  people  who  wor¬ 
shipped  according  to  the  tenets  of  the  Church  of  Scotland. 
No  such  grants  were  made  by  King  George,  for  that  the 
Church  of  England  was  the  only  Church  recognized  by 
law  in  South  Carolina  until  the  Declaration  of  Indepen¬ 
dence  had  been  signed.  The  advocate  in  Mr.  Wallace 
overcame  the  scholar  in  preaching  this  sermon. 

This  sermon  was  the  supreme  effort  of  Mr.  Wallace 
to  hold  Williamsburg  to  Calvinism.  It  was  published  as 
Wallace’s  History  of  Williamsburg  Church,  and  is  a 
most  treasured  volume  in  many  public  and  private  libra¬ 
ries.  It  is  intensely  interesting  to  students  of  psychology 
and  of  history. 

This  sermon  did  not  stay  the  hand  of  Arminianism  in 
Williamsburg.  It  made  hundreds  of  militant  Baptist 
and  Methodists.  Mr.  Wallace  could  not  see  that  the 
hand  of  God  Almighty  had  written  Upharsin  over  the 
tabernacles  of  Calvinism.  He  lost  faith  in  himself.  His 
mercurial  temperament  overcame  him.  One  day,  while 
“cleanly  weeding  his  corn”  and  a  slave  was  ploughing  a 
mule  in  an  adjoining  row,  Mr.  Wallace,  without  warning, 
brained  the  mule  with  a  hoe,  cutting  that  beast  off  in 
the  blossoms  of  his  sins,  “unshriven,  unhouseled,  un- 
aneled.”  His  unconscious  self  saw  Calvinism  materi¬ 
alized  in  that  hapless  animal. 

Mr.  Wallace  resigned  as  minister  of  the  Williamsburg 
Church,  a  broken  hearted  man.  One  cannot  help  remem- 


300 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


bering  Shakespeare’s  Cardinal  Wolsey  in  connection  with 
his  resignation: 

“Had  I  but  served  my  God  with  half  the  zeal 
I  served  my  King,  he,  in  mine  age, 

Would  not  have  left  me  naked  to  mine  enemies.” 

And  hear  Mr.  Wallace  soliloquizing  when  departing 
for  Arkansas : 

“Had  I  but  served  my  God  with  half  the  zeal 
I  served  John  Calvin’s  god,  I  should  not  now 
Be  leaving  for  unknown  lands.” 

Saul  began  a  journey  to  Damacus.  Paul  arrived. 
Wallace  the  Calvinist  began  the  journey  to  Arkansas. 
Wallace  the  Christian  reached  those  fertile  fields.  It 
was  a  long  way,  that  half  thousand  leagues  in  1858. 
Thirty  miles  was  a  good  day’s  journey,  and  frequently 
stormy  seasons  and  swollen  streams  impeded  onward 
movement.  Somewhere  along  this  way,  the  Reverend 
James  A.  Wallace  saw  a  strange  Light.  It  showed  him 
that  Calvinism  was  the  theological  monstrosity  of  the 
ages;  that  John  Calvin  created  the  only  god  unapproach¬ 
able  by  man;  that  Hope  hovers  above  a  praying  Igorrote, 
but  Fear  alone  stalks  and  grins  about  a  petitioning  Cal¬ 
vinist.  This  Light  showed  Mr.  Wallace  that  God  is  Love. 
He  made  a  remarkable  record  in  Arkansas  preaching  the 
Merciful  Nazarene.  It  may  be  that  Mr.  Wallace  never 
knew  that  he  had  been  so  wonderfully  instrumental  in 
saving  a  remnant  of  Williamsburg  from  Calvinism  to  the 
ancient  Presbyterian  faith,  the  same  that  grew  out  of 
the  spirit  of  Abraham  and  Isaiah  and  Christ.  It  is  pos¬ 
sible  that  he  always  remembered  he  came  to  Williams¬ 
burg  and  found  it  ninety-five  per  centum  Presbyterian, 
remained  nine  years  and  left  his  denomination  in  the 
minority.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  he  realized  that  he  had 
come  for  just  such  a  time  as  this,  and  that  his  almost 
superhuman  efforts  had  made  Williamsburg  know  more 
certainly  than  any  Arminianist  how  to  give  a  cup  of  cold 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  301 


water  in  Jesus’  name.  No  Presbyterian  minister  who 
ever  came  to  Williamsburg  drew  more  Light  into  this 
Land.  God  rest  him! 

Union  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  in  1857. 
That  year  William  Lifrage  granted  to  J.  A.  McCullough, 
W.  J.  J.  Lifrage,  and  W.  F.  Rodgers,  trustees  of  the 
Union  Presbyterian  Church,  one  acre  of  land  on  the 
Broom  Straw  road  on  which  the  church  was  built.  Nearly 
all  of  the  members  of  this  Church  had  just  withdrawn 
from  the  Williamsburg  Church. 

Elon  Presbyterian  Church  was  organized  in  1856. 
Thomas  China  then  granted  to  Henry  Montgomery,  S.  J. 
Montgomery,  and  James  Plowden,  trustees,  nine  acres  of 
land  on  the  Coleman  road  on  which  the  church  was 
built.  This  congregation  withdrew  from  the  Brewington 
Congregation.  The  story  is  told  that  about  this  time  a 
singing  school  master  came  into  the  Brewington  com¬ 
munity  and  everybody  in  the  congregation  enrolled  in  his 
singing  school.  Some  proved  apt  pupils  and  learned  new 
music  and  wanted  to  sing  it  in  the  Brewington  Church. 
Part  of  the  congregation  failed  to  improve  on  account 
of  the  singing  master’s  efforts,  and  finally  refused  even 
to  attempt  to  sing  the  new  songs,  but  clung  to  the  old 
songs  and  the  ancient  tunes  which  had  been  used  by  their 
people  since  “the  memory  of  man  runneth  not  to  the 
contrary.”  The  faction  that  could  sing  the  new  songs 
and  the  faction  that  could  not  or  would  not  became  hostile 
to  each  other.  The  faction  that  clung  to  the  old  psal¬ 
mody  organized  the  Elon  Church.  The  Elon  Church 
prospered  for  about  twenty  years,  when  its  organization 
was  discontinued. 

The  Rehoboth  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  dates  from 
1857,  when  John  W.  Brogdon  and  wife,  Mary  B.  Brogdon, 
conveyed  to  J.  Warrington  Oliver,  W.  J.  R.  Cantey,  J. 
C.  Strange,  R.  T.  Lowder,  T.  J.  M.  Davis,  R.  el.  Ragin, 


302 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  M.  M.  Benbow,  trustees,  two  acres  of  land  whereupon 
this  church  was  built. 

The  Bethel  Presbyterian  Church  was  built  in  1858. 
Robert  Epps  gave  the  site  and  the  building  committee 
consisted  of  William  H.  McElveen,  W.  J.  Burgess,  and 
Daniel  H.  Smith.  This  Church  was  organized  by  the 
Burgess’,  McElveens,  Smiths,  Friersons,  Fultons,  Mouzons, 
and  Kinders,  who  lived  on  the  east  side  of  Pudding 
Swamp  and  who  heretofore  had  been  members  of  the  Mid¬ 
way  Church  Congregation.  There  were  fifty-two  mem¬ 
bers  of  this  Church  when  organized.  Samuel  A.  Burgess, 
William  H.  McElveen,  W.  S.  Brand,  were  its  first  Ses¬ 
sion  of  Elders,  and  W.  D.  McFaddin  and  J.  A.  McElveen 
were  its  first  deacons.  The  Reverend  P.  Pearson  was 
its  first  minister.  Samuel  A.  Burgess  and  William  S. 
McElveen  served  the  church  as  elders  earnestly  and  faith¬ 
fully  for  more  than  fifty  years. 

During  this  period  between  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
and  the  War  between  the  Sections,  Williamsburg  Dis¬ 
trict  furnished  many  ministers  of  the  Gospel.  Among 
them  may  be  mentioned,  Robert  W.  James,  William  J. 
Wilson,  E.  O.  Frierson,  Elmo  Kinder,  Jeremiah  Snow, 
R.  G.  McCutchen,  and  W.  S.  Hemingway.  The  three  first 
named  have  been  mentioned  in  this  text.  Mr.  McCutchen 
migrated  to  the  State  of  Indiana  in  1856.  Mr.  Kinder 
was  the  son  of  Elder  John  M.  Kinder,  of  Kingstree.  The 
young  man  was  graduated  at  the  Columbia  Presbyterian 
Theological  Seminary  in  1855,  and  died  in  the  month 
following  the  completion  of  his  education.  Some  of  his 
old  library  books  in  Hebrew,  Greek,  and  Latin  may  now 
be  found  in  the  Kingstree  Carnegie  Library.  The  Rev¬ 
erend  W.  S.  Hemingway  was  graduated  at  Wofford  Col¬ 
lege  and  was  a  Methodist  minister  of  considerable  influ¬ 
ence  and  power.  He  preached  the  dedicatory  sermon  at 
Spring  Street  Church  in  the  city  of  Charleston.  He  was 
a  Chaplain  in  the  Confederate  Army. 


PURITANISM,  CALVINISM,  ARMINIANISM  303 


In  1860,  there  were  in  Williamsburg,  the  following 
churches :  Presbyterian :  Williamsburg,  Union,  Elon, 
Bethel,  and  Indiantown;  Methodist:  Ebenezer,  Union, 
Suttons,  Kingstree,  Rehoboth,  Rough  Branch,  and  Cades; 
Baptist:  Black  Mingo,  Kingstree,  Lynch’s  Creek,  Black 
River,  Midway,  and  the  Free  Will  Baptist  Church  at 
Pine  Grove.  Midway  and  Brewington,  Presbyterian,  and 
Saint  Mark’s  Methodist,  were  near  the  Clarendon-Wil- 
liamsburg  County  line  and  served  many  of  the  people  of 
the  district. 

From  1730  until  1860,  probably  no  citizen  of  Williams¬ 
burg  admitted  being  a  member  of  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church.  No  person  was  permitted  as  an  immigrant  into 
the  Williamsburg  Colony  until  he  had  signed  an  oath 

that  he  was  a  Protestant.  Even  children  from  six  vears 

«/ 

of  age  were  required  to  subscribe  to  this  solemn  declara¬ 
tion  regarding  religious  belief. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 


THINGS,  POLITICAL  AND  SOCIAL,  1830-  1860. 

On  the  first  day  of  December,  1922,  there  were  a 
number  of  people  living  in  Williamsburg  who  were  born 
about  1830,  and  were,  therefore,  more  than  ninety  vears 
old.  Several  of  these  were  of  the  highest  types  of  citizen¬ 
ship,  men  and  women  whose  minds  were  still  keen  and 
clear  and  strong  and  whose  memories  and  judgments  were 
remarkable.  Among  these  were  two  physicians,  Dr. 
James  S.  Cunningham  and  Dr.  Isaac  W.  Graham.  As  an 
indication  of  the  interest  that  these  venerable  men  still 
held  in  things,  each  one  read  first  in  his  family  the  news¬ 
paper  as  it  came  every  morning. 

These  men  and  women  who  had  lived  in  Williamsburg 
for  more  than  ninety  years  seemed  to  regard  the  period 
between  1830  and  1860  as  a  wonderful  epoch.  While  old 
men  usually  remember  their  youth  as  the  greatest  time 
in  their  lives,  yet  these  old  fellows  had  many  reasons  to 
give  in  arguing  that  from  1830  to  1860  was  the  halcyon 
period.  There  were  no  poor  people  in  Williamsburg  then 
except  those  willfully  in  want.  Williamsburg’s  cupboards 
were  full  and  its  woodsheds  overflowing.  Kindly  masters 
ruled  from  their  mansion  houses  their  large  planta¬ 
tions,  and  in  the  evening  negroes  sang  about  the  “great 
house”  door.  The  only  discord  that  marred  this  happy 
period  grew  out  of  arguments  on  religion  and  politics. 
Nobody  then  cared  very  much  about  the  price  of  cotton 
or  tobacco.  If  the  world  did  not  want  to  buy  from  Wil¬ 
liamsburg,  Williamsburg  did  not  care.  It  had  all  it 
wanted.  When  a  man  owned  more  than  one  hundred 
slaves,  he  seemed  to  lose  interest  in  acquiring  temporal 
things  and  to  devote  his  special  attention  to  religion  and 
to  politics. 


THINGS,  POLITICAL,  SOCIAL,  1830-1860  305 


Public  schools  were  authorized,  but  they  were  designed 
only  for  those  people  who  were  themselves  unable  to 
educate  their  children.  Prior  to  1860,  all  public  schools 
in  Willimsburg  were  more  largely  in  name  than  in  fact. 
Nearly  every  planter  kept  governesses  and  tutors  in  his 
home  while  his  children  needed  them.  There  were  some 
community,  or  parochial  schools,  like  those  conducted  by 
Mr.  North  at  Willtown,  Mr.  Durand  at  Indiantown,  and 
Mr.  Rowe  at  Kingstree.  These  schools  were  more  in  the 
nature  of  academies  which  the  larger  children  in  these 
communities  sometimes  attended.  The  young  men  were 
prepared  for  college  at  Reid’s  Academy  in  Concord,  N.  C. 
Bethany  Academy  in  Iredell  County,  N.  C.  Yorkville 
Academy  and  at  Waddell’s  Academy  at  Williston.  The 
young  men  completed  their  education  at  the  University 
of  South  Carolina,  the  University  of  North  Carolina,  the 
University  of  Virginia,  Princeton,  and  at  Davidson  Col¬ 
lege,  North  Carolina,  Wofford,  and  Furman  Colleges. 
Medical  students  attended  lectures  at  the  South  Caro¬ 
lina  Medical  College,  Charleston.  The  young  women 
were  usually  trained  under  governesses  at  home  and  some 
of  them  were  sent  to  Salem  Female  Academy  at  Winston 
Salem,  North  Carolina,  and  others  to  Bradford  Springs, 
Dr.  Taylor’s  School  at  Darlington,  and  the  Barhamville 
Female  College  near  Columbia,  South  Carolina.  A  great 
many  young  men  from  this  district  received  military  and 
technical  training  at  the  Citadel,  or  South  Carolina  Mili¬ 
tary  College,  in  Charleston. 

Many  are  the  interesting  stories  told  of  the  College 
experiences  at  this  time.  Dr.  Isaac  W.  Graham  and  the 
Reverend  James  E.  Dunlap  were  students  at  the  Univer¬ 
sity  of  South  Carolina  in  1854.  Dr.  Graham  says  that 
a  “bigger  devil”  than  James  E.  Dunlap,  in  his  younger 
days,  never  lived.  One  time,  while  they  were  there  at 
the  college,  a  number  of  students  succeeded  fairly  well 
in  making  a  night  hideous.  Among  other  things,  they 


306 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


tore  down  and  concealed  within  their  rooms  in  the 
University  tenements  several  sign  boards  that  had  right¬ 
fully  reposed  over  the  doorways  of  Columbia  merchants. 
The  next  morning,  the  University  marshal  made  a  tour 
inspecting  the  rooms  of  the  students,  looking  for  these 
pieces  of  stolen  property.  Mr.  Dunlap  had  some  of  them 
in  his  room  and  heard  the  marshal’s  footsteps  approach¬ 
ing.  Mr.  Dunlap  hurriedly  threw  the  sign  boards  in  the 
fire  and  began  praying  in  the  “holy  tone”  so  often  used 
in  that  period  by  pious  preachers  in  their  supreme  flights 
of  petitioning  eloquence.  The  marshal  heard  Mr.  Dunlap’s 
marvelous  praying  and  stood  spellbound  at  the  door 
until  the  sign  boards  had  burned  and  Mr.  Dunlap  had 
ceased  praying.  Then  the  marshal  entered  and  com¬ 
mended  Mr.  Dunlap  for  his  exceeding  religious  fervor. 
He  did  not  even  look  for  any  sign  boards. 

Some  time  during  the  presidency  of  Dr.  Thornwell,  the 
mess  steward  did  not  give  the  students  so  many  biscuits 
as  they  wanted.  The  students  claimed  the  right  to  take 
their  meals  outside  of  Steward’s  hall,  but  Dr.  Thornwell 
refused  and  required  them  to  fare  where  the  authorities 
had  provided.  Practically  all  of  the  students  of  the 
University  held  a  “Secession  Convention”  and  unani¬ 
mously  resolved  to  withdraw  from  the  University  of  South 
Carolina  and  enter  the  University  of  Virginia.  Dr. 
Graham  and  Mr.  Dunlap  were  two  of  these  students  em 
gaged  in  this  “Biscuit  Rebellion,”  and  so  completed  their 
college  courses  at  the  University  of  Virginia,  graduating 
there  in  1857. 

Dancing,  horse  racing,  and  tournaments  were  the  prin¬ 
cipal  social  recreations  of  antebellum  Williamsburg. 
Nearly  every  planter  in  the  district  kept  thoroughbred 
horses,  and  at  least  once  every  year  each  one  thought  he 
had  developed  a  horse  that  could  outrun  any  other  horse 
in  the  world.  These  old  men  were  firm  in  their  convic¬ 
tions  in  this  matter  and  usually  staked  a  considerable 


THINGS,  POLITICAL,  SOCIAL,  1830-1860  307 


amount  of  gold  on  their  horses.  Racing  Days  at  Kings- 
tree  and  Willtown  and  Murray’s  Ferry  were  time  markers 
for  the  whole  year.  The  whiskey  distillers  of  western 
North  Carolina  knew  these  dates  well  and  sent  in  covered 
wagons  from  Concord  and  Salisbury  and  Charlotte  to 
Williamsburg  sufficient  supplies  of  “mountain  dew”  to 
accommodate  the  gentlemen  in  Williamsburg. 

Tournaments  were  frequently  held  when  the  lords  and 
ladies  of  Williamsburg  appeared  at  their  best.  The  young 
men  who  rode  in  the  tournament  impersonated  in  cos¬ 
tume  and  conduct  some  favorite  knight  of  ancient  history. 
The  herald  called  the  turn  in  the  list,  “Earl  of  Sterling,” 
“The  Knight  of  Dalkeith,”  or  the  “Laird  of  Lochinvar.” 
Out  into  the  softened  sunlight  and  on  to  the  course  the 
rider  dashed  on  Selim  of  the  proud  Arabian  line.  The 
ladies  witnessing  held  their  breath  and  each  one  antici¬ 
pated  the  winning  of  her  knight  and  felt  beforehand  on 
her  brow  the  crown  as  Queen  of  Love  and  Beauty.  That 
night  at  the  grand  ball,  the  Queen  was  crowned  and  her 
descendants  even  now  of  the  third  and  fourth  genera¬ 
tions  know  all  about  this  wonderful  occasion. 

Some  of  these  old  Scotchmen  had  Irish  blood  in  their 
veins  and  by  virtue  of  it  a  sense  of  humor.  Frequently, 
just  after  one  of  these  tournaments,  where  so  much  pomp 
and  ceremony  and  splendor  had  shone,  they  would  stage 
a  gander  pulling  on  the  field.  Instead  of  rings,  ancient, 
toughnecked,  well  greased  ganders  were  suspended  by 
the  feet  from  the  posts.  The  mock  herald  would  call  in 
stentorian  tones  the  “Knight  of  Tater  Hill”  or  the  prince 
of  “Punkin  Centre,”  when  out  from  the  lists  a  clownish 
clad  rider,  his  long  eared  steed  essaying  his  utmost,  would 
dash  and  try  to  gather  gander  necks  along  his  way.  The 
“Queen  of  Fun  and  Frolic”  crowned  by  the  winning 
gander  puller  was  usually  the  fairest  and  fattest  man 
available.  It  is  said  jolly  John  Brockinton,  approaching 


308 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


four  hundred  weight  in  ordinary  times,  was  prime 
favorite  for  this  distinction. 

Usually  grand  balls  were  closing  events  of  Fourth  of 
July  celebrations  at  Kingstree,  Willtown,  and  Lenud’s, 
and  sometimes  the  dances  following  wedding  feasts  were 
of  considerable  dignity  and  proportions ;  but  the  frequent 
plantation  dances,  where  almost  every  one  was  a  close 
cousin  to  every  other,  were  the  most  pleasing  and  beauti¬ 
ful  social  affairs  of  this  generation. 

Many  plantations  had  negro  fiddlers  who  could  make 
shouting  Methodists  as  well  as  pious  Presbyterians  “chase 
the  fox.”  Almost  every  young  person  in  the  district 
loved  to  dance,  and  perhaps  the  man  who  knows  would 
say  that  nothing  ever  brought  more  light  and  love  and 
joy  to  old  Williamsburg  than  did  these  plantation  dances 
of  the  long  ago. 

Tradition  says  Dick,  the  first  African  slave  brought 
into  Williamsburg,  was  a  fiddler.  Colonel  Roger  Gordon, 
his  master,  bequeathed  him  in  his  will  to  his  daughter 
Sarah,  who  married  Hugh  McGill.  Dick  became  fiddler 
facile  princeps  of  all  Williamsburg.  Prior  to  Dick’s  com¬ 
ing  into  the  McGill  clan,  it  is  not  known  just  how  strong 
the  dance  lure  lived  in  them.  It  is  certain,  however, 
that  since  Dick  began  to  fiddle  for  Hugh  McGill,  no  Mc¬ 
Gill  has  ever  been  able  to  keep  his  feet  from  keeping  time 
when  a  fiddle  starts.  Dick’s  spirit  must  even  hover 
over  the  ground  in  which  his  body  rests.  He  lived  and 
died  on  what  is  now  the  Boyd  plantation  on  Campbell 
Swamp. 

Fundamentally  religious  in  conception,  but  largely 
social  in  their  working,  were  sacramental  communion  oc¬ 
casions  and  camp  meetings.  Bethel  Congregation  intro¬ 
duced  camp  meetings  in  Williamsburg  amout  1800,  but 
the  Presbyterians  soon  abandoned  them  for  biennial  com¬ 
munion  meetings.  These  communion  occasions  were  held 
in  the  spring  and  in  the  fall  of  each  year  at  all  of  the 


THINGS,  POLITICAL,  SOCIAL,  1830-1860  309 


Presbyterian  Churches  in  the  district.  There  were  four 
days  of  religious  services  conducted,  Thursday,  Friday, 
Saturday,  and  Sunday.  The  congregations  of  Aimwell, 
Hopewell,  Brewington,  Midway,  and  Salem  had  been 
formed  originally  of  people  of  the  Williamsburg  and  In- 
diantown  communities  and  were  closely  related  by  blood 
to  these  people.  These  communion  meetings  were  an¬ 
nounced  many  weeks  before  their  occurrence,  and  large 
numbers  from  the  surrounding  Presbyterian  Congrega¬ 
tions  embraced  these  opportunities  of  visiting  their  friends 
and  relatives,  as  well  as  of  participating  in  these  great 
feasts  of  the  Church.  Frequently,  visiting  families  would 
come  in  covered  wagons  and  camp  in  the  churchyard. 

Ministers  preached  two  long  sermons  every  day  and 
a  most  solemn  religious  atmosphere  settled  down  about 
the  churchyards.  All  the  children  of  the  community  were 
baptized;  all  erring  brethren  humbled  themselves  in  the 
dust  before  the  congregation,  received  the  forgiveness  of 
the  elders,  and  were  restored  to  good  standing  in  the 
Church.  So  called  sinners  were  convinced  that  they  were 
the  peculiar  elect  and  were  then  received  into  the  rights 
and  privileges  of  the  Church.  It  was  on  these  occasions 
that  the  Presbyterian  Churches  increased  their  member¬ 
ship. 

Incident  to  these  meetings  was  the  deep  social  influence. 
About  this  time,  men  were  exceedingly  careful  in  guard¬ 
ing  their  daughters  even  from  the  appearance  of  evil.  The 
young  women  were  hardly  ever  permitted  out  of  sight  of 
duennas,  and  it  was  a  rare  occasion  then  when  a  young 
man  could  speak  a  word  of  love  to  a  young  maiden  with¬ 
out  its  being  heard  by  her  protectors.  Wooing  in  those 
days  was  exceedingly  difficult  and  required  practical  diplo¬ 
macy;  but,  on  these  communion  occasions  in  this  dim 
religious  light,  soft  eyes  could  look  love  and  the  elders 
would  not  disapprove.  The  matches  made  were  of  great 
sociological  value.  The  friendly  relations  continued 


310 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


through  them,  and  the  knowledge  gained  by  this  means  of 
communication  between  the  several  communities  in  this 
section  of  South  Carolina  were  of  considerable  import. 
Towards  the  end  of  this  period,  the  Churches  at  Williams¬ 
burg  and  Indiantown  held  four  of  these  communion  oc¬ 
casions  every  year. 

The  Methodist  denomination  used  camp  meetings  for 
evangelism  from  their  introduction  in  1800  until  1860. 
These  camp  meetings  were  held  in  Williamsburg  at  Popu¬ 
lar  Hill  and  at  Suttons  and  sometimes  in  other  sections  of 
the  district.  The  largest  camp  meetings  held  in  South 
Carolina  were  those  at  Centenarv  Church  in  Marion 
District  and  at  Remberts  in  the  Sumter  District.  Hun¬ 
dreds  of  people  from  Williamsburg  attended  the  meetings 
that  were  held  at  these  two  churches. 

A  well  suited  section  of  land  was  selected,  usually  a 
large  live  oak  grove,  and  an  immense  bush  arbor  erected. 
The  seats  were  simply  strong  pine  boards  placed  on  logs 
that  had  been  lain  at  proper  distances  under  the  arbor. 
Frequently,  more  than  a  thousand  people  would  listen, 
while  seated  under  such  conditions,  to  the  burning  elo¬ 
quence  of  the  evangelists. 

During  the  latter  part  of  this  period,  many  of  the 
wealthier  Methodists  maintained  tents  at  these  camp 
meetings.  These  tents  were  immense  in  size  and  parti¬ 
tioned  into  five  sections.  In  one  of  these  sections,  the 
family  lived  and  slept;  in  another,  the  cooking  was  done 
and  the  groceries  stored ;  in  the  third  was  the  dining  room 
where  all  meals  were  served;  sections  four  and  five  con¬ 
tained  sleeping  apartments  for  men  and  women,  respec¬ 
tively.  These  two  sections  contained  large  numbers  of 
mattresses  and  any  one  attending  the  services  was  gladly 
received  for  shelter  during  the  night.  All  were  invited 
to  partake  of  any  meal  served.  To  these  large  tents 
every  day  came  supplies  in  wagons  from  the  owners* 
plantations  and  the  best  in  the  land  was  served.  Every 


THINGS,  POLITICAL,  SOCIAL,  1830-1860  311 


one  who  attended  these  camp  meetings  had  a  comfortable 
place  to  sleep  and  an  abundance  of  food.  Sometimes, 
thousands  came  to  these  camp  meetings;  and  the  social 
and  political  as  well  as  the  religious  results  were  con¬ 
siderable. 

Williamsburg  between  1830  and  1860  was  concerned 
deeply  with  certain  fundamental  political  ideas.  The 
States’  Rights  question  was  always  before  the  people  and 
everybody  was  deeply  interested  in  national  affairs  in 
Washington.  Local  political  matters  received  little  at¬ 
tention.  The  men  of  Williamsburg  voted  only  for  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Legislature.  The  Legislature  elected  other 
office  holders  from  governor  to  constable.  The  men  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  knew  well  how  almost  every  one  in  the  district 
would  vote  on  stated  occasions,  when  members  of  the 
Legislature  were  to  be  elected,  and  so  it  was  difficult  to 
induce  many  men  of  the  district  to  take  interest  in  elec¬ 
tions  and  still  more  difficult  to  find  men  who  were  will¬ 
ing  to  leave  their  plantations  for  about  two  months  every 
vear  to  attend  the  session  of  the  Legislature  in  Columbia. 

In  1842,  Williamsburg  did  not  elect  any  representa¬ 
tives  in  the  Legislature  at  all,  nor  did  it  elect  any  senator 
in  1846.  During  the  period  from  1830  to  1860,  the  mem¬ 
bers  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Representatives  from 
Williamsburg  were  nearly  all  remarkable  men.  They 
were:  Senators,  D.  D.  Wilson,  William  Cooper,  E.  H. 
Miller,  P.  H.  Moore,  and  S.  J.  Montgomery;  House  of 
Representatives,  Joseph  Bradley,  T.  D.  Singleton,  W.  J. 
Buford,  W.  J.  Campbell,  Joseph  Scott,  Joseph  R.  Ful- 
more,  Robert  L.  Mouzon,  J.  W.  McCutchen,  J.  A.  Salters, 
B.  W.  Bradley,  S.  J.  Montgomery,  H.  M.  McKnight,  David 
Epps,  J.  C.  Wilson,  J.  G.  Pressley,  W.  M.  Belser,  and 
J.  S.  Brockinton.  Among  the  county  officers  of  this  time 
were:  Sheriffs,  S.  E.  Graham,  William  R.  Scott,  D.  B. 
Mouzon,  William  Carter,  S.  J.  Bradley,  W.  R.  Nelson, 
and  W.  N.  Y.  Rodgers;  Clerks  of  the  Court,  R.  G.  Fer- 


312 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


rell?  William  R.  Scott,  R.  W.  Rockingham,  and  W.  R. 
Brockinton;  Commissioners  in  Equity,  T.  D.  Singleton, 
P.  G.  Gourdin,  William  R.  Scott,  William  Flagler,  Isaac 
Nelson,  D.  J.  Porter,  Dr.  Henry  Thorne,  Reverend  J.  A. 
Wallace,  Ikey  Coleman,  and  R.  C.  Logan  j  Ordinaries, 
David  McClary  and  N.  M.  Whitehead;  Coroners,  Samuel 
Fluitt,  David  McClary,  Isaac  Nelson,  J.  B.  McElveen,  and 
James  McClary. 

The  American  Grand  Jury  seems,  of  all  good  function¬ 
ing  governmental  agencies  in  our  Republic,  that  which 
most  nearly  approaches  idealism  in  its  working.  When 
the  average  man  takes  his  seat  in  a  grand  jury  room,  he 
seems  then  and  there  to  be  nearer  both  God  and  man 
than  he  can  be  elsewhere.  Even  the  average  American 
Grand  Jury  works  nearly  always  as  if  it  were  conscious 
of  both  its  human  and  its  divine  origin  and  responsibility. 

Nothing  in  American  life  is  respected  more  than  a  Grand 
J  ury. 

There  may  have  been  in  Williamsburg  from  1830  to 
1860  even  more  regard  for  its  Grand  Jury  than  other 
districts  had.  It  is  certain  that  this  “grand  inquest  from 
the  body”  of  Williamsburg  was  always  heard  when  it 
spoke  and  that  all  good  citizens  asked  for  no  higher 
authority  for  action  than  its  suggestions. 

At  the  fall  term,  1833,  of  the  Williamsburg  District 
Court,  the  Grand  Jury  made  the  following  presentment: 
“We,  the  Grand  Jurors  of  the  District  of  Williamsburg 
and  State  aforesaid,  present  as  a  grievous  evil  in  our 
land  the  intemperate  use  of  ardent  spirits.  Few  causes, 
indeed,  all  other  causes  together,  as  the  Grand  Jury  be¬ 
lieves,  have  contributed  as  much  as  this  to  produce  in¬ 
dividual  misfortune  and  distress  and  public  crimes  and 
misdemeanors.  A  candid  exhibition  of  facts  would  doubt¬ 
less  lead  to  the  lamentable  conclusion  that  nine-tenths  of 
the  domestic  evils  which  disturb  the  quiet  of  families  and 


THINGS,  POLITICAL,  SOCIAL,  1830-1860  313 


fully  as  great  a  proportion  of  the  crimes  and  minor  of¬ 
fences  which  fill  up  our  Sessions  dockets. 

“Thus  believing,  without  adding  a  word  touching  the 
great  inroads  on  good  morals  and  the  permanence  of  our 
civil  institutions,  which  this  evil  has  made  and  is  likely 
to  make;  this  Grand  Jury  would  earnestly,  tho?  with 
great  deference,  recommend  to  the  Legislatures  to  grant  all 
the  aid  and  facilities  which  in  their  wisdom  may  be  proper 
for  them  to  grant  in  restraint  of  this  great  evil.”  Signed : 
Thomas  Steele,  Foreman,  J.  M.  Pendergrass,  William 
Brown,  Jr.,  R.  Morris,  W.  Parker,  J.  S.  Dick,  William 
Crapps,  Samuel  McKenzie,  James  Tedder,  John  M.  Smith, 
John  G.  McKnight,  Jesse  Mild,  George  W.  Cooper,  Ran¬ 
dall  McDonald,  B.  R.  Pendergrass,  and  H.  D.  Shaw. 

It  is  very  probable  that  this  report  of  the  Williams¬ 
burg  Grand  Jury,  with  its  recommendation  to  the  Legis¬ 
lature,  was  the  highest  recognition  the  cause  of  Prohibi¬ 
tion  had  received  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina.  It 
was  time  that  something  happened  in  Williamsburg.  The 
Asbury  kind  of  circuit  riders  had  been  preaching  in  these 
parts  for  nearly  a  half  century  that  Man  worked  out  his 
own  Salvation. 

“The  Grand  Jury  for  the  District  of  Williamsburg  for 
Fall  Term,  A.  D,  1846,  in  the  discharge  of  its  duty  would 
most  respectfully  make  the  following  presentments : 

“That  in  its  examination  of  the  Public  Buildings  of  the 
District  it  finds  nothing  worthy  of  remarks,  with  the  ex¬ 
ceptions  of  the  windows  and  doors  of  the  Court  House. 
It  finds  sundry  panes  of  glass  in  the  windows  and  lights 
of  the  circular  room  below  the  stairs  broken  and  think 
they  should  be  supplied.  The  cobwebs  collected  on  the 
panes  of  the  windows  and  other  portions  of  the  Court 
Room  give  it  a  dingy  appearance  and  the  Grand  Jury 
think  they  should  be  kept  away. 

“The  reports  of  the  various  boards  of  commissioners  in 
the  district,  with  the  exception  of  the  report  of  the  Board 


314 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


of  Commissioners  of  Public  Buildings,  have  not  been 
presented  to  the  Grand  Jury  and  of  course  it  cannot  ex¬ 
press  an  opinion  as  to  them. 

“The  Grand  Jury  presents  the  present  system  of  Mag¬ 
istrates  throughout  the  State  as  a  great  and  growing 
evil.  The  Jury  thinks  that  unless  some  change  be  made 
it  would  be  better  for  the  quiet  and  interest  of  the  people 
that  the  whole  system  should  be  abolished.  The  change 
which  this  Grand  Jury  thinks  advisable  is  in  lieu  of  the 
present  number,  to  have  only  one  magistrate  for  each 
beat  Company  within  the  limits  of  the  district  and  one 
extra  magistrate  for  each  Court  House.  The  grievance 
complained  is  as  to  the  number  and  as  to  the  character 
of  the  magistrates  appointed.  This  Jury  thinks  that  by 
diminishing  the  number  more  competent  persons  than 
those  who  now  fill  the  office  may  be  obtained. 

“The  Grand  Jury  would  advise  an  extension  of  the 
jurisdiction  of  the  Ordinary  in  the  matter  of  real  estate. 
While  the  present  law  is  continued,  the  rich  may  not 
complain,  but  the  poor  man  has  but  slight  consolation  in 
the  reflection  that  his  hard  earnings,  instead  of  supply¬ 
ing  the  wants  of  them  he  leaves  behind,  find  their  way  into 
the  pockets  of  the  officers  of  the  Court  of  Equity.  The 
forms  of  proceedings  in  that  court  are  confessedly  costly. 
The  Jury  is  content  that  those  who  are  able  and  willing 
should  be  permitted  to  pursue  their  rights  before  that 
Chancellor,  but  it  deems  it  a  grievance  that  the  poor  are 
not  offered  an  option  to  adopt  a  cheaper  course. 

“The  Grand  Jury  presents  that  Mr.  Cleland  Belin  has 
obstructed  the  public  road  leading  from  the  big  George¬ 
town  road  to  Black  Mingo  Creek  by  the  erection  of  a 
house  and  the  construction  of  a  gate.  The  Grand  Jury 
presents  the  obstruction  as  a  nuisance  and  would  suggest 
the  names  of  Messrs.  S.  T.  Cooper,  J.  B.  Miller,  W.  F. 
Blakely,  James  Snow,  as  witnesses  in  relation  to  this 
nuisance.  George  Barr,  Foreman.” 


THINGS,  POLITICAL,  SOCIAL,  1830-1860  315 


“Judge  John  Belton  O’Neal  ordered  the  commissioners 
to  repair  the  court  house  at  once ;  that  a  copy  of  the  report 
be  served  on  the  Senator  and  Representatives  to  be  by 
them  laid  before  Legislature  and  that  a  bench  warrant 
issue  for  Cleland  Belin.” 

“In  1848,  the  Grand  Jury  notes  with  pleasure  the  neat 
appearance  of  things  about  the  court  house  and  the 
general  orderliness  prevailing.”  Judge  Wardlaw  had 
been  exacting  in  seeing  the  recommendations  of  former 
Grand  Juries  had  been  executed.  It  seems  that  at  this 
time  the  county  officers  for  the  first  time  found  it  neces¬ 
sary  to  account  for  all  fines  and  penalties  collected.  At 
a  preceding  term,  every  county  officer  was  indicted  for 
neglect  of  duty  along  this  line.  This  Grand  Jury  of  the 
Spring  Term,  1848,  suggested  that  “comfortable  chairs 
replace  the  benches  then  in  use  for  jurors  and  that  the 
bar  be  made  comfortable  for  lawyers  and  that  this  dis¬ 
trict  might  well  model  its  court  room  and  furnishings 
after  the  court  room  in  Marion.”  A.  W.  Dozier  was  Fore¬ 
man  of  this  Jury. 

From  report  of  Grand  Jury,  Fall  Term,  1854:  “We 
present  as  our  unanimous  opinion  that  the  Federal  law 
abolishing  the  African  slave  trade  is  a  public  grievance. 
We  hold  it  has  been,  and  would  be,  if  reestablished,  a  bless¬ 
ing  to  the  American  people  and  a  benefit  to  the  African 
himself.  We  hold  further  that  this  trade  is  consistent 
with  the  true  policy  of  the  South,  and  that  slavery  is 
authorized  and  sanctioned  by  Holy  Writ,  and  experience 
has  taught  us  that  by  introducing  African  slavery  into 
these  United  States,  the  African  has  been  elevated  from 
a  condition  of  absolute  barbarism  into  one  of  compara¬ 
tive  civilization;  from  a  condition  of  heathen  darkness 
into  one  of  Christian  light;  from  a  condition  of  despotic 
and  chaotic  misrule  into  one  of  benign  and  regulated  law. 
We  hold  that  slavery  is  forbidden  by  no  principle  of 
policy  or  religion  except  that  which  springs  from  the 


316 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


frenzied  imagination  of  fanatic  philanthropy  which  arro¬ 
gantly  assumes  to  be  purer  and  holier  than  what  is 
written.  We  therefore  recommend  this  subject  to  the 
consideration  and  action  of  the  Legislature  of  the  State, 
trusting  that  through  its  influence  the  evil  complained  of 
may  be  remedied.”  D.  M.  Mason,  Foreman. 

The  Fall  Term,  Grand  Jury,  1855,  presented  as  a  griev¬ 
ous  nuisance  the  dragging  of  the  mouth  of  Black  River 
with  seines  by  men  from  the  North,  so  that  Williams¬ 
burg  was  deprived  of  its  normal  and  accustomed  supply 
of  fish  in  its  waters.  The  Legislature  is  asked  to  remedy 
this  evil  condition. 

Trading  with  slaves  seems  to  have  been  the  most  com¬ 
mon  yet  most  serious  offence  general  in  Williamsburg  in 
1858.  The  Grand  Jury  that  year  asks  the  Legislature  to 
pass  an  Act  making  trading  with  slaves  punishable  by 
whipping.  Some  of  the  richest  merchants  in  the  district 
at  that  time  persisted  in  buying  seed  cotton  at  night  from 
slaves.  A  pillory  was  erected  on  the  Court  House  Square 
in  Kingstree  at  this  time  for  one  of  these  offending  mer¬ 
chants  and  he  would  have  been  placed  in  the  stocks  had 
not  one  man,  his  friend,  suspected  the  purpose  for  which 
the  structure  was  being  erected  and  informed  him  in  time 
for  his  escape. 

The  pillory  had  been  used  in  the  district  at  an  earlier 
date  than  this,  for  a  man  convicted  of  “Assault  with  in¬ 
tent  to  murder”  in  1815,  was  sentenced  to  one  month  in 
jail,  fined  fifty  dollars,  and  to  stand  in  the  pillory  fifteen 
minutes  between  twelve  o’clock  noon  and  two  in  the  after¬ 
noon  on  the  first  Monday  in  April.  In  1841,  two  white 
men,  convicted  of  stealing  three  bushels  of  corn,  were 
sentenced  to  receive  on  the  first  Monday  in  December, 
ten  stripes;  the  first  Monday  in  January,  ten  stripes; 
and  the  first  Monday  in  February,  ten  stripes;  and  to  be 
imprisoned  for  three  months. 


THINGS,  POLITICAL,  SOCIAL,  1830-1860  317 


In  1859,  the  Grand  Jury  report  contained  the  follow¬ 
ing:  “We  recommend  that  the  Commissioners  of  Public 
Buildings  apply  to  the  Legislature  for  authority  to  sell 
a  portion  of  the  Eastern  and  the  Western  boundaries  of 
the  Public  Square  (Court  House  Square.)  We  find  same 
unnecessarily  large.  We  present  the  free  negroes  of  the 
district  as  a  nuisance  and  recommend  that  the  Legisla¬ 
ture  pass  some  law  that  will  have  the  effect  of  relieving 
the  community  of  this  troublesome  element.  We  also 
present  the  present  militia  system  as  a  nuisance  and  rec¬ 
ommend  that  the  same  be  abolished  and  another  more 
efficient  be  substituted.”  Signed,  D.  D.  Wilson,  Foreman. 

In  the  Williamsburg  District  in  1860,  there  were  the 
following  postoffices:  Black  Mingo,  Camp  Ridge,  China 
Grove,  Indiantown,  Johnson  ville,  Kingstree,  Lynch’s 
Lake,  Murray’s  Ferry,  Santee,  Natural  Grove,  and 
Parsonage. 

Among  the  professional  men  of  this  period  were:  Law¬ 
yers,  N.  G.  Rich,  E.  J.  Porter,  John  G.  Pressley,  A.  Isaac 
McKnight,  and  Samuel  W.  Maurice;  Physicians,  Dr.  T. 
M.  Mouzon,  William  Dollard,  B.  W.  Bradley,  S.  D.  M. 
Byrd,  D.  M.  Mason,  T.  D.  Singleton,  Richard  Jarrott, 
J.  W.  Staggers,  S.  J.  Singletary,  J.  C.  Williams,  S.  D. 
McGill,  Isaac  W.  Graham,  James  S.  Brockinton,  John  F. 
Brockinton,  and  Henry  Thorne. 

The  Thirty-first  Regiment  of  militia  played  a  promi¬ 
nent  part  in  the  life  of  Williamsburg  during  this  period. 
Once  every  month,  the  several  companies  met  on  their 
respective  drill  grounds  in  the  many  parts  of  the  district 
and  every  Fourth  of  July  all  of  the  companies  gathered 
on  the  Regimental  Parade  Ground  at  Black  Mingo  for 
regimental  manoeuvres  and  a  parade.  These  regimental 
meetings  were  occasions  of  great  ceremony  and  were  anti¬ 
cipated  all  during  the  year.  Not  only  were  then  the 
several  companies  in  the  Regiment  recruited  up  to  legal 
strength  and  the  Regiment  drilled  as  a  whole,  but  also 


318 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


on  this  day  great  barbecue  feasts  were  enjoyed  and 
usually  the  Governor  of  South  Carolina  delivered  a 

e/ 

patriotic  address.  On  nearly  every  regimental  muster  day 
at  Willtown  the  governor  came,  since  it  was  a  valuable 
opportunity  for  his  own  political  future  as  well  as  the 
inculcation  of  patriotic  principles.  The  Declaration  of 
Independence  was  always  read  and  patriotic  songs  were 
sung. 

After  the  official  and  formal  social  events  of  the  day 
had  concluded,  the  “bullies”  tried  their  strength  and  the 
district  champion  for  the  year  was  determined.  Every 
section  of  the  district  had  its  “bully,”  the  man  who 
thought  he  could  whip  every  other  man  in  his  community, 
at  these  regimental  musters.  The  several  communities 
brought  out  their  respective  champions  and  by  a  process 
of  elimination  in  actual  fist  fights,  the  “bully”  for  the 
whole  district  was  determined.  These  “bully”  contests 
excited  intense  interest  and  formed  the  subject  of  con¬ 
versation  for  the  district  for  many  moons.  Sometimes, 
brigade  reviews  were  held  and  the  “bullies”  from  each 
regiment  would  meet  in  combat  and  the  brigade  “bully” 
would  receive  his  laurel  wreath. 

On  these  regimental  muster  occasions  at  Willtown,  the 
Governor  of  South  Carolina  was  usually  the  guest  of 
Cleland  Belin.  Mr.  Belin  was  wealthy,  had  a  beautiful 
home,  and  was  one  of  the  most  unique  characters  that 
Williamsburg  ever  produced.  His  home  was  a  splendid 
structure,  finished  and  furnished  in  the  similitude  of  a 
palace.  He  had  considerable  mechanical  ability  and 
supervised  the  erection  of  his  residence.  He  required  the 
builders  to  finish  even  its  hidden  corners  with  greatest 
care.  Probably  no  other  building  erected  in  South  Caro¬ 
lina  up  to  that  time  was,  from  floor  to  roof,  more  nearly 
perfect.  In  his  home,  he  gathered  many  objects  of  art 
and  beautiful  books  and  curiosities  from  the  four  corners 
of  the  globe.  There  were  twelve  bedrooms  in  his  house. 


THINGS,  POLITICAL,  SOCIAL,  1830-1860  319 


In  each  one  of  these  bedrooms,  he  had  a  grandfather’s 
clock  out  of  which  fairies  came  at  the  end  of  each  hour 
and  danced  and  played  on  their  little  stages.  These 
clocks  in  the  several  rooms  were  set  successively  five 
minutes  ahead  of  each  other  so  that  every  five  minutes 
in  the  day  in  some  room  in  the  house  fairies  played.  Mr. 
Belin’s  home  excited  great  interest  in  this  section  of 
South  Carolina.  Thousands  of  people  visited  it  every  year 
and  all  of  them,  prince  and  peasant  alike,  received  a  cor¬ 
dial  welcome. 

Mr.  Belin  was  a  very  successful  business  man  and  a 
man  of  considerable  natural  mental  ability.  His  educa¬ 
tion  was  limited,  yet  some  of  his  manuscripts  and  the  in¬ 
scriptions  which  he  placed  on  monuments  show  a  remark¬ 
able  depth  of  thought  and  an  excellent  command  of 
language.  Governor  Gist,  after  he  had  been  entertained 
in  Mr.  Belin’s  home  on  one  occasion,  when  returning  to 
the  Capitol,  said  in  Kingstree,  “If  Cleland  Belin  had  re¬ 
ceived  a  liberal  education  in  his  youth,  he  would  have 
become  the  most  powerful  man  in  South  Carolina.” 

Battalion  musters  were  held  in  Kingstree  and  near 
Lenud’s  Ferry  every  year.  On  these  battalion  muster 
occasions,  the  Declaration  of  Independence  was  read  and 
patriotic  songs  were  sung.  From  the  Revolution  until 
the  War  between  the  Sections  in  1861,  it  is  probable  that 
no  part  of  the  United  States  loved  or  regarded  with 
greater  veneration  and  respect  than  did  Williamsburg 
what  it  regarded  as  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States. 
That  its  interpretation  was  over-ruled  by  the  supreme 
court  of  war  detracts  nothing  from  the  splendor  of  its 
homage. 

In  1837,  when  the  Seminole  Indian  outbreak  occurred, 
the  Williamsburg  Regiment  of  Militia  furnished  its  quota 
of  men.  Among  the  volunteers  at  the  first  opportunity 
for  service  may  be  mentioned:  John  F.  1).  Britton, 


320 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Thomas  R.  Greer,  J.  L.  Brown,  W.  G.  Cantley,  Samuel 
McGill,  Winfield  Scott,  and  E.  P.  Montgomery. 

When  war  was  declared  with  Mexico  in  1844,  a  large 
number  of  the  young  men  of  Williamsburg  volunteered 
and  won  everlasting  fame  as  soldiers  in  the  Palmetto 
Regiment.  This  Regiment  was  in  the  severest  fighting  at 
Buena  Vista  and  Cherubusco,  and  sharpened  its  sabers 
on  the  walls  of  old  Chapultepec. 

Among  the  officers  of  the  militia  during  this  period,  the 
following  are  outstanding:  Colonels,  D.  D.  Wilson, 
Washington  Cockfield,  William  Cooper,  and  S.  J.  Mont¬ 
gomery;  Captains,  S.  J.  Snowden,  John  E.  Scott,  John 
G.  Pressley,  John  Coachman,  Leonard  Dozier,  John  Green, 
and  William  G.  Flagler.  These  men  were  very  influen¬ 
tial  in  civil  as  well  as  military  affairs.  Colonel  Mont¬ 
gomery  was  commanding  the  Regiment  at  the  beginning 
of  the  War  between  the  Sections.  He  was  also  Senator 
from  Williamsburg  and  died  holding  this  high  place. 
Colonel  Washington  Cockfield  seems  to  have  been  one  of 
the  most  spectacular  officers  of  the  day.  The  old  men  of 
present  Williamsburg,  who  were  then  boys,  remember 
him  in  full  regimentals,  his  long  waving  plume  and  flash¬ 
ing  sword,  dashing  about  the  Willtown  muster  ground  on 
his  coal  black  charger. 

The  one  great  curse  of  this  halcyon  period  in  Williams¬ 
burg  was  fever.  Almost  everv  vear  at  least  half  of  the 
people  were  incapacitated  for  business  and  for  social  ac¬ 
tivity  on  account  of  this  malady.  A  few  times  typhus 
became  epidemic  and  took  a  tremendous  toll  of  human 
life.  In  1815,  the  first  epidemic  occurred  and  hardly  a 
home  in  the  district  was  left  untouched  by  the  death 
angel.  Again  in  1854,  it  raged.  At  the  spring  term  of 
the  court  in  1857,  the  district  officers  were  ordered  by  the 
court  to  occupy  their  new  quarters  which  had  been  re¬ 
cently  added  to  the  Court  House.  This  order  had  not 
been  obeved  when  court  convened  in  October.  When  the 

c / 


THINGS,  POLITICAL,  SOCIAL,  1830-1860  321 


offending  officers  were  served  with  the  rule  to  show  cause 
why  they  should  not  be  punished  for  contempt,  they 
showed  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  court  that  for  three 
months  prior  to  that  time  there  had  not  been  a  sufficient 
number  of  people  in  the  town  of  Kingstree  unafflicted  by 
fever  to  care  for  the  actual  needs  of  those  who  were 
stricken.  But  the  great  continuous  curse  of  this  period 
was  malaria.  Infected  mosquitoes  clouded  the  country. 
Dr.  Isaac  Graham  says  that  when  he  was  a  small  boy  on 
Santee  frequently  he  found  difficutly  in  drawing  a  “bead” 
with  his  rifle  on  a  squirrel  up  a  tree  on  account  of  the 
mosquitoes  swarming  in  the  air. 

Everybody  in  this  country  then  had  two  residences. 
The  house  in  which  the  family  lived  in  winter  was  called 
its  home.  The  place  it  lived  in  summer  was  either  far 
removed  from  the  swamps,  or  in  the  mountains  of  North 
Carolina.  Women  and  children  who  lived  near  the 
swamps  in  summer  were  in  great  danger. 

The  old  family  graveyards  filled  during  these  periods 
tell  fearful  tales.  Planters  usually  selected  a  square  plot 
of  about  one-fourth  an  acre  for  their  burying  ground  and 
there  only  the  members  of  the  family  were  interred.  There 
are  now  hundreds  of  these  old  graveyards  that  show  the 
father,  mother,  and  five  or  more  of  their  children  of  less 
than  five  years  old  buried  by  their  sides.  Diphtheria  and 
malaria  did  their  deadly  work,  so  that  in  few  families 
half  of  the  children  born  reached  maturity.  The  most 
pathetic  tale  told  by  these  old  tombstones  is  that  of  Cle- 
land  Belin  and  Sarah  Margaret  McFaddin.  To  them  were 
born  thirteen  children  before  she  died  at  forty  years  of  age. 
Eleven  of  these  thirteen  are  all  buried  in  a  row  beside  her, 
not  one  of  the  eleven  having  reached  the  age  of  five  years. 
Mrs.  Belin  died  before  her  husband  and  he  placed  a  tomb¬ 
stone  to  her  and  one  to  each  of  their  eleven  dead  children. 
He  wrote  the  following  inscription  on  the  stone  erected 
to  her  memory,  “Sarah  Margaret  Belin,  daughter  of  Mr. 


322 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


William  McFaddin,  beloved  wife  of  Cleland  Belin,  born 
27  August,  1811,  died  3  October,  1851.  She  was  indus¬ 
trious,  careful,  and  domestic  in  her  habits,  retiring  in  her 
manner,  calm  and  tranquil  in  her  demeanor,  hospitable 
in  her  feelings,  forgiving  in  her  temper,  and  Christian 
in  her  principles.” 

It  is  said  that  when  the  French  Huguenots  first  settled 
on  the  Santee  River  in  Williamsburg,  there  were  then 
quantities  of  mosquitoes  infesting  the  section  but  that  they 
were  not  infected  with  the  germs  that  produced  malaria. 
For  many  years  these  mosquitoes  were  not  a  serious  men¬ 
ace  to  the  community,  but  that  some  years  after  the  in¬ 
troduction  of  African  slaves,  the  malaria  germ  began  to 
threaten  the  whole  section,  and,  sooner  or  later,  the  pest 
made  the  section  almost  uninhabitable  for  Caucasians. 
It  is  believed  that  the  malaria  germ  came  into  Williams¬ 
burg  by  way  of  the  slaves  imported  from  Africa. 

Malarial  fever,  as  it  developed  in  the  fifties,  on  the  San¬ 
tee,  surpasses  human  capacity  for  description.  When  the 
germ  once  overpowered  a  human  system,  it  was  relentless. 
It  took  away  life  slowly  and  certainly.  A  man  might  be 
plowing  in  the  fields  when  he  first  felt  its  force  and  from 
that  moment  he  gradually  failed.  Some  of  the  men  and 
women  of  this  period  who  overcame  this  malignant  germ 
showed  ever  afterwards  remarkable  resistance  to  all  the 
ills  to  which  flesh  is  heir.  One  hears  now  the  statement 
made,  in  opposition  to  the  use  of  vaccines  and  mosquito 
exterminators,  that  a  great  many  people  who  dwelt  in  the 
Santee  swamps  lived  to  be  a  hundred  years  old.  These 
relators  overlook  the  fact  that  nine  average  persons  per¬ 
ished  where  one  extraordinary  physical  specimen  survived. 
Many  years  ago  the  mosquitoes  were  conquered,  the  fevers 
ceased  to  burn. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 


TRANSPORTATION,  1830-1860. 

Men  called  the  ways  over  which  they  travelled  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  during  this  period  roads.  It  is  strange  that 
men  of  their  intelligence  and  their  patriotic  impulses  and 
unlimited  quantities  of  slave  labor  built  no  highways, 
but  continued  to  worry  along  with  ways  over  which  they 
might  go  only  at  certain  seasons  of  the  year.  The  roads 
of  this  period  wound  in  and  out  and  around  about  the 
swamps.  Much  of  the  time  they  were  half  covered  with 
water  and  boggy  to  an  impassable  degree.  Perhaps  these 
men  of  the  prewar  period  had  on  their  plantations  about 
everything  they  wanted  and  did  not  see  the  necessity  for 
roads. 

With  the  slave  labor  at  the  command  of  Williamsburg 
during  this  period,  and  without  effecting  its  production 
of  cotton  one  bale,  the  district  could  have  constructed 
roads  that  would  have  lasted  like  Indian  mounds  and 
have  been  for  the  good  of  a  hundred  generations.  These 
planters  usually  had  small  boats  that  carried  their  cotton 
down  the  winding  Wee  Nee  River  to  Georgetown.  They 
seemed  not  to  care  that  the  courses  these  boats  had  to 
follow  were  a  hundred  miles.  They  could  have,  with  a 
minimum  amount  of  cost,  straightened  the  river  and 
made  the  distance  less  than  half.  Xor  did  they  ever  make 
any  effective  attempts  to  dredge  the  river.  It  is  true  that 
sometimes  they  would  cut  long  pine  trees  that  had  fallen 
into  the  river  and  had  become  serious  menaces  to  their 
sloops  and  flat  boats,  but  this  was  about  all  that  they 
did  to  improve  the  navigability  of  this  natural  highway. 
Black  River  has  run  by  Kingstree  for  two  hundred  years 
without  any  businesslike  effort  undertaken  to  make  its  use 
valuable  to  the  district. 


324 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


The  planters  of  Williamsburg  marketed  their  cotton 
and  tobacco  at  Georgetown  since  they  could  float  these 
products  down  the  river.  Bringing  back  things  up  the 
river  was  a  more  difficult  task  and  possibly  this  was  a 
factor  in  the  increasing  wealth  of  the  Williamsburg  Dis¬ 
trict  during  this  period.  It  was  much  easier  to  carry 
things  to  market  than  to  bring  things  from  the  market 
home.  Always,  except  in  emergencies,  Williamsburg  has 
chosen  the  easier  way. 

Some  of  the  planters  of  Williamsburg  lived  at  such  a 
distance  from  the  river  that  they  transported  their  cotton 
and  tobacco  overland,  crossing  Black  River  at  Brown’s 
Ferry.  A  few  marketed  their  products  in  Charleston, 
crossing  the  Santee  at  Murray’s  and  Lenud’s  Ferries.  All 
the  district  north  of  Williamsburg  as  far  as  North  Caro* 
lina  used  the  Murray’s  Ferry  road  through  Kingstree  and 
crossed  the  Santee  there  in  going  to  Charleston  and  re¬ 
turning.  Murray’s  Ferry  was  for  a  century  one  of  the 
most  important  points  in  South  Carolina.  Usually  in 
history  rivers  proved  great  blessings  to  the  communities 
through  which  they  flowed,  but  not  so  the  Santee.  It  is 
a  treacherous  river,  uncertain  and  dangerous.  It  was  a 
barrier  to  eastern  South  Carolina  for  two  centuries. 
Often  passengers  could  not  cross  it  at  Murray’s  Ferry,  and 
had  to  wait  until  its  floods  subsided.  Sometimes  when  a 
crossing  could  not  be  effected  at  Murray’s  Ferry,  it  could 
be  accomplished  at  Lenud’s  Ferry  forty  miles  down  the 
river.  Lenud’s  Ferry  was  not  used,  however,  from  1830 
to  1860  so  much  as  Murray’s  Ferry. 

In  1856,  the  Northeastern  Railway  was  built  from 
Charleston  northward  through  the  Williamsburg  Dis¬ 
trict.  The  building  of  this  railroad  proved  at  once  that 
it  was  an  enormous  factor  in  the  life  of  Williamsburg  Dis¬ 
trict.  On  this  railroad,  planters  could  ship  their  prod¬ 
uce  and  could  go  themselves  in  a  few  hours  over  the 
same  distance  that  theretofore  had  required  several 


TRANSPORTATION,  1830  TO  1860 


325 


laborious  days.  Very  soon,  the  greater  part  of  the  busi¬ 
ness  of  Williamsburg  was  done  in  Charleston,  and  George¬ 
town  ceased  to  be  the  trading  seat  of  this  district.  Plant¬ 
ers  from  Williamsburg  shipped  their  cotton  to  factors 
in  Charleston  every  fall.  These  factors  sold  their  cotton 
and  accepted  their  drafts  from  time  to  time.  All  of  the 
cotton  was  thrown  on  the  market  about  the  same  time 
and  sold  at  such  prices  as  the  factors  determined. 

Planters  of  Williamsburg  secured  their  supplies  from 
merchants  in  Charleston  almost  entirely  after  the  build¬ 
ing  of  the  Northeastern  Railroad.  These  planters  knew 
and  were  known  to  certain  merchants  in  Charleston  who 
filled  the  orders  of  the  planters  all  during  the  year.  If 
the  cotton  crop  had  been  a  good  one,  these  merchants  ac¬ 
cepted  their  pay  about  November  first.  Nobody  ever 
thought  of  paying  bills  oftener  than  once  a  year.  If  the 
Williamsburg  planter  had  failed  to  make  a  good  crop, 
the  merchant  permitted  him  to  postpone  payment  until 
the  following  November.  It  was  so  easy  to  buy  on  order 
and  pay  days  were  so  far  away  that  just  about  the  begin¬ 
ning  of  the  War  between  the  Sections,  Williamsburg  was 
enjoying  a  season  of  riotous  living. 

Bridging  the  Santee  and  completing  the  railroad 
through  Williamsburg  District  was  a  tremendous  task  in 
those  days  when  practically  all  labor  was  done  by  man 
power.  Such  engineering  projects  were  also  attended  with 
great  danger  and  several  men  lost  their  lives  while  this 
work  was  being  done.  Railroading  was  extremely  hazard¬ 
ous  in  that  experimental  stage  and  often  railroad  men 
were  killed  in  accidents.  The  supervising  constructor  of 
the  Santee  trestle,  Mr.  Littlefield,  lost  his  life  before  com¬ 
pleting  his  task.  The  first  bridge  built  there  in  1856  was 
a  wooden  structure  and  manv  miles  of  trestle  work  were 
required  before  the  embankments  were  placed  many  years 
later.  The  first  section  boss  was  killed  on  this  trestle 


326 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


within  a  year  after  trains  began  running.  The  first  sec¬ 
tion  boss  in  the  Cades  community  was  also  killed  in  1857. 

The  first  train  that  ran  through  Williamsburg  County 
is  remembered  distinctly  by  many  persons  now  living. 
Celebrations  were  staged  at  its  several  stopping  points  in 
the  district  and  multitudes  of  people,  brass  bands,  and 
barbecue  feasts  greeted  the  day  the  locomotive  whistle 
first  startled  the  denizens  of  these  swamps.  Dr.  D.  C. 
Scott,  then  a  six-year  old  boy  living  in  the  Cedar  Swamp 
community,  was  brought  by  his  father  to  see  the  first  rail¬ 
road  train  come  into  Kingstree.  Dr.  Scott’s  father  had 
bought  him  a  hobby  horse  in  Kingstree  that  day  and  as 
the  train  was  approaching,  his  father  cautioned  him  to 
hold  his  horse  or  the  train  would  frighten  him.  Every 
real  horse  in  Kingstree  that  day  was  securely  tied  far 
away  from  the  railroad. 

At  that  time,  people  in  Kingstree  enjoyed  seeing  the 
trains  pass.  Some  built  their  houses  on  Railroad  Avenue 
for  the  purpose  of  witnessing  railroad  trains  pass  morn¬ 
ing  and  evening.  Seventy-five  years  later,  when  the  great 
Atlantic  Coast  Line  Railroad  runs  almost  a  continuous 
line  of  trains  over  its  double  tracks  along  Railroad  Avenue 
in  Kingstree,  the  descendants  of  these  same  people,  who 
live  in  the  houses  which  they  built,  are  much  disturbed 
by  the  passing  of  so  many  trains. 

Up  to  this  time,  probably  no  other  event  in  the  history 
of  Williamsburg,  save  the  War  of  the  Revolution,  had 
such  an  immediate  and  far-reaching  influence  on  the 
district  as  did  the  building  of  this  Northeastern  Railroad. 
The  innkeepers  in  Kingstree  and  at  Murray’s  Ferry  and 
the  ferrymen  viewed  the  situation  with  alarm.  All  at  once 
the  line  of  travel  from  the  North  ceased  coming  through 
Kingstree  and  passing  over  Murray’s  Ferry,  and  it  was 
not  many  years  before  the  last  ferry  boat  on  the  Santee 
had  sunken  and  the  ferryman’s  song  forever  hushed. 


TRANSPORTATION,  1830  TO  1860 


327 


The  building  of  the  Northeastern  Railway  inflicted  a 
serious  blow  on  Georgetown.  Up  to  that  time,  a  consider¬ 
able  part  of  its  trade  had  come  from  Williamsburg.  This 
trade  moved  to  Charleston  almost  at  once  after  the  rail¬ 
road  service  began.  Henceforth,  Charleston  and  not 
Georgetown  was  the  center  of  the  commercial  interest  of 
Williamsburg. 

Immediately  after  the  Northeastern  Railway  was  built 
through  Williamsburg,  there  came  “down  here  from  North 
Carolina”  a  multitude  of  turpentine  workers  and  dis¬ 
tillers  who  began  to  develop  the  lumber  and  naval  stores 
industries.  These  immigrants  for  the  most  part  were  a 
vigorous,  hardy,  and  energetic  people.  They  were  about 
the  first  white  people  whom  that  generation  in  Williams¬ 
burg  had  ever  seen  who  worked  with  their  hands  as  well 
as  their  heads.  This  working  of  white  people  with  their 
hands  produced  uncertain  and  conflicting  opinions  of 
them  in  Williamsburg.  Some  regarded  these  turpentine 
workers  simply  as  “poor  white  trash”  unworthy  of  notice. 
Others  were  not  so  sure.  Williamsburg  sold  them  turpen¬ 
tine  rights  at  first  for  a  song,  but  soon  learned  from  the 
fortunes  being  made  by  these  turpentine  workers  the  value 
of  a  pine  tree. 

Richard  H.  Kellahan  came  into  Kingstree  without  a 
dollar  in  the  world.  He  was  a  likely  looking  youngster. 
M.  J.  Hirsch,  Esq.,  a  lawyer  in  Kingstree,  took  a  fancy 
to  him,  bought  him  a  pair  of  shoes  and  an  axe  and  grub¬ 
staked  him  for  three  days.  Mr.  Kellahan  went  into  the 
woods  and  chipped  turpentine  trees  until  he  became  a 
millionaire.  Ferney  Rhem  “came  down  here  from  North 
Carolina”  about  1847,  settled  on  the  Georgetown-Wil- 
liamsburg  County  line  and  began  to  work  turpentine.  A 
few  years  later,  he  had  a  small  empire  in  that  section. 
When  he  died,  he  was  one  of  the  largest  land  owners  in 
South  Carolina  and  his  descendants  have  been  contin¬ 
uously  adding  to  their  estate.  There  were  many  others 


328 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


of  these  men  who  made  fortunes  and  were  influential 
factors  in  Williamsburg. 

Among  these  “Tar  Heels”  who  came  to  Williamsburg, 
Dr.  McGill  mentions  J.  F.  Carraway,  P.  H.  Bufkin,  Isham 
Hinson,  R.  P.  Hinnant,  Augustus  Haddock,  John,  James, 
and  Edwin  Harper,  James,  William,  and  Walter  Bryan, 
James  E.  David,  Thomas  Edwards,  Edward  and  Henry 
B.  Johnson,  S.  B.  Newsom,  S.  W.  Mills,  Hardy  Hallimer, 
Samuel  Moore,  W.  Lee,  R.  H.  Kellahan,  N.  G.  Pitman, 
Augustus  Perkins,  E.  J.  Parker,  Jessie  Turner,  F.  Rhem, 
W.  T.  Willoughby,  Cicero  and  Hagard  Whitfield,  and 
W.  K.  Lane. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 


SLAVERY  AND  SECESSION. 

There  were  two  great  ideas  obtaining  at  the  time  of 
the  creation  of  the  American  nation.  For  twelve  vears, 
there  had  been  thirteen  independent  states  along  the  Ah 
lantic  coast.  It  was  realized  that  some  form  of  union 
was  necessary  for  the  mutual  protection  of  these  states 
and  for  their  highest  opportunity  for  development.  Until 
this  time,  a  state  had  depended  most  largely  on  the  per¬ 
sonality  of  some  individual  leader,  or  king;  and  about 
him,  the  personalities  of  several  lesser  leaders,  who  domi¬ 
nated  sections  of  the  country,  gathered.  A  strong  king 
made  a  strong  nation  but  the  making  of  a  strong  nation 
usually  worked  unnecessary  hardships  upon  the  indi¬ 
viduals  composing  this  state. 

The  founders  of  the  American  Union  were  learned  men. 
They  knew  the  history  of  nations  and  had  followed  them 
as  they  rose  and  fell.  One  faction  of  the  founders  honestly 
believed  that  these  thirteen  states,  along  the  Atlantic  sea¬ 
board,  should  unite,  surrendering  to  the  Federal  Union 
all  of  the  powers  inherent  in  a  state  and  thus  make  the 
union  one  great  state  wherein  all  the  powers  of  these 
thirteen  smaller  states  should  be  amalgamated.  This  fac¬ 
tion  realized  the  practically  unlimited  possibilities  of  this 
great  union  existing  in  their  minds.  The  individual 
leaders  of  this  faction  lived  in  the  northern  portion  of 
these  colonies  where  commerce  and  manufacturing  pre¬ 
dominated.  They  had  much  relationship  with  the  other 
states  of  the  world  and  saw  very  clearly  how  much  better 
for  them  would  be  such  a  powerful  state  as  the  com¬ 
plete  fusion  of  these  thirteen  states  would  make. 

The  other  idea  as  to  the  formation  of  the  American 
state  obtained  in  the  southern  portion  of  the  territory. 
The  Southerners  were  planters  and  stock  raisers.  They 


330 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


lived  largely  on  their  plantations  and  had  but  little  actual 
need  for  anything  which  they  did  not  produce.  The 
dominant  element  in  this  southern  portion  were  extreme 
individualists  by  inheritance.  They  wanted  to  be  let 
alone.  They  saw  that  economic  conditions  in  so  large  a 
territory  would  result  in  inevitable  clashes  of  interest 
and  believed  that  the  best  thing  for  them  would  be  to 
preserve,  as  far  as  possible,  states’  rights  in  their  own 
section. 

Sentiment,  however,  was  by  no  means  unanimous  in 
either  the  northern  or  the  southern  sections  of  the  Ameri¬ 
can  territory.  The  strong  central  government  idea,  how¬ 
ever,  predominated  in  the  North,  while  the  sectional  rights 
idea  maintained  the  ascendency  in  the  South.  Sentiment 
in  the  State  of  South  Carolina  was  overwhelmingly  in 
favor  of  the  retaining  all  rights  possible  in  the  forma¬ 
tion  of  the  Federal  Government. 

Sentiment  in  Williamsburg  District,  however,  was  com¬ 
paratively  evenly  divided.  In  the  Constitutional  Con¬ 
vention  at  Columbia,  in  1788,  when  South  Carolina  joined 
the  Union,  Wiliam  Wilson  was  one  of  the  leaders  in  the 
promotion  of  the  strong  central  government  idea  in  the 
convention,  while  Patrick  Dollard  was  equally  enthusi¬ 
astic  and  effective  in  his  efforts  for  retaining  everything 
which  South  Carolina  could  before  adopting  the  Federal 
Constitution.  Mr.  Dollard  eloquently  opposed  to  the 
end  the  adoption  of  any  Federal  Constitution. 

For  several  decades,  Williamsburg  had  close  relations 
with  Charleston  and  Georgetown,  where  commerce  and 
shipping  interests  predominated.  In  these  two  cities  the 
strong  federal  union  idea  was  in  the  ascendency  in  the 
beginning,  and  probably  from  them  came  the  force  that 
inclined  Williamsburg  until  the  tariff  became  unreason¬ 
able. 

When  the  cost  of  maintaining  the  Federal  Government 
became  considerable  and  the  levying  of  indirect  taxes, 


SLAVERY  AND  SECESSION 


331 


popularly  known  as  the  tariff,  became  burdensome,  senti¬ 
ment  in  Williamsburg  began  to  change;  and  later  when 
the  tariff  in  the  beginning  levied  for  the  support  of  the 
Federal  Union  began  practically  to  subsidize  manufactur¬ 
ing  and  commercial  interests  and  lay  grievous  burdens 
on  stock  raising  and  agriculture,  the  sentiment  towards 
states’  rights  grew  rapidly. 

The  first  state  action  in  South  Carolina  was  the  Nulli¬ 
fication  Convention  in  1832.  Sentiment  about  that  time 
in  Williamsburg  was  by  no  means  unanimous.  In  fact, 
the  more  substantial  element  in  the  district  did  not  favor 
the  proceedings  of  the  Nullification  Convention. 

When  the  manufacturing  section  of  the  United  States 
secured  control  in  the  Congress  and  began  to  use  a  giant’s 
strength  like  a  giant,  agriculture  of  South  Carolina  arose 
and  asserted  what  it  believed  its  rights  under  the  Ameri¬ 
can  Constitution  as  adopted  in  1789. 

In  the  beginning  and  until  the  production  of  cotton  in 
large  quantities  began  about  1800,  slave  labor  was  not 
profitable  in  South  Carolina,  and  up  to  this  time  the 
State  had  often  considered  the  abolition  of  slavery. 
Gradually,  from  1800,  African  slaves  grew  in  value  in 
South  Carolina,  since  slaves  had  produced  cotton  and 
rice  at  a  profit.  African  slaves  were  not  profitable  in 
the  northern  sections  of  the  country.  From  about  1800 
until  1860,  the  northern  section  of  the  country  was  just 
as  eager  to  sell  its  slaves  as  the  southern  portion  was 
anxious  to  buy,  and  it  did  not  take  many  years  of  eager 
sellers  and  anxious  purchasers  to  shift  slavery  to  the 
South. 

The  conflict  of  these  two  ideas  as  to  the  American 
Union,  the  strong  states’  rights  idea  and  the  strong  fed¬ 
eral  union  notion,  had  inextricably  mixed  in  it  serious 
economic  conditions  due  to  differences  of  sectional  in¬ 
terest.  Each  section  soon  began  to  consider  only  itself 


332 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  gradually  compromises  of  conflicting  economic  in¬ 
terests  grew  more  and  more  difficult. 

Slavery  was  the  source  of  great  power  in  the  South. 
The  North  realized  this.  It  is  but  a  short  way  from  the 
realization  of  an  economic  interest  to  the  actualization 
of  a  strong  religious  sentiment  to  sustain  and  support  it. 
It  did  not,  therefore,  take  a  long  time  for  professional 
Puritan  religious  reformers  to  begin  to  preach  and  to 
pray  about  the  evils  of  African  slavery  in  the  South. 
Some  of  them  were  sincere  and  honest,  perhaps  most  of 
them,  but  like  all  reformers,  they  lost  themselves  in  their 
own  delusions.  The  power  which  slaves  gave  the  South 
in  Congress  was  the  real  reason  for  so  many  pathetic 
“Songs  of  Labor’7  which  were  written  in  the  section  where 
no  darkies  sang  around  the  “Great  House77  door.  The 
rabid  Abolitionists  at  the  North  usually  proclaimed  only 
the  inhumanity  of  African  slavery  in  the  South.  The 
most  charitable  thing  that  may  be  said  about  them  is  that 
they  did  not  know. 

This  is  no  defense  of  African  slavery  in  the  South. 
African  slavery  in  the  South  did  not  grow  out  of  mis¬ 
sionary  ideas  for  the  promotion  of  the  Christian  spirit  in 
the  world,  nor  was  it  designed  for  the  promotion  of  al¬ 
truistic  sentiment,  but  it  did  take  a  race  of  men  that  for 
thousands  of  years  had  roamed  the  pampas  and  plains 
and  jungles  of  Africa  like  wild  beasts,  and,  within  a 
single  century,  bring  forth  multitudes  of  substantial 
Christian  men  and  women. 

In  1808,  there  was  a  shipload  of  Guinea  negroes  sold 
in  Williamsburg,  South  Carolina.  They  spoke  no  lan¬ 
guage  save  that  of  grunts  and  nods.  They  knew  not  their 
right  hand  from  their  left.  One  hundred  years  later,  in 
1908,  the  descendants  of  these  same  Guinea  negroes  were 
prosperous  citizens.  Some  of  them  owned  considerable 
plantations  and  produced  large  crops  of  corn,  cotton,  and 
tobacco;  some  of  them  were  members  of  the  bar  in  New 


SLAVERY  ANDi  SECESSION 


333 


York  City;  some  were  practising  medicine;  some  were 
architects  and  builders.  There  is  no  other  case  of  such 
remarkable  development  of  a  race  recorded  in  history  or 
told  in  tradition. 

Slave  owners  in  Williamsburg,  South  Carolina,  were 
neither  more  nor  less  saintly,  human  nor  inhuman,  than 
other  men  of  the  world  of  their  day  and  generation.  When 
these  savage  Africans  were  brought  to  this  district,  they 
could  not  be  disciplined  or  controlled  and  civilized  and 
made  serviceable  only  by  the  use  of  smooth  tongues  and 
gloved  hands.  It  was  necessary  that  the  planter  trans¬ 
form  a  wild  man  into  a  profitable  workman  within  a  short 
period  of  time  that  the  slave  might  be  profitable.  This 
was  a  tremendous  task  and  it  was  well  done  with  as 
little  physical  force  as  was  expedient.  One  now  marvels 
that  the  transformation  was  often  effected  by  these 
planters  within  such  a  short  period  of  time.  Slaves  were 
required  to  render  instant  and  unquestioning  obedience 
and  this  proved  their  salvation.  Out  of  this  slave  train¬ 
ing,  came  some  of  the  most  noble  characters,  the  most 
loyal  subjects,  and  the  most  beautiful  service  ever  seen 
in  the  world.  One  wonders  now  when  he  thinks  that  the 
son  of  a  cannibal  could  become  the  “major  domo”  of  a 
southern  plantation.  It  required  clear  minds,  strong  arms, 
and  endless  patience  to  make  Guinea  negroes  into  service¬ 
able  citizens.  South  Carolina  did  it.  It  must  not  be 
thought  for  one  moment  that  the  transformation  of  these 
savages  into  good  men  and  women  was  effected  for  other 
than  utilitarian  and  economic  motives,  but  the  resulting 
love  and  loyalty  fostered  in  this  reformation  often  proved 
the  most  beautiful  thing  in  the  world. 

Bill  was  the  son  of  a  negro  captured  in  the  jungles  on 
the  Congo,  and  sold  as  a  slave  on  the  block  in  Charles¬ 
ton.  In  the  graveyard  about  the  beautiful  old  Black 
Mingo  Baptist  Church,  one  now  finds  a  marble  slab  on 
which  is  graven :  “Sacred  to  the  memory  of  Bill,  a 


334 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


strictly  honest  and  faithful  servant  of  Cleland  Belin.  Bill 
was  often  intrusted  with  the  care  of  Produce  and  Mer¬ 
chandize  to  the  value  of  many  thousand  dollars,  without 
loss  or  damage.  He  died  7th  October,  1854,  in  the  35th 
year  of  his  age,  an  approved  member  of  the  Black  Mingo 
Baptist  Church.  Well  done,  thou  good  and  faithful  ser¬ 
vant.  Enter  thou  into  Joy  of  thy  Lord.” 

It  must  not  be  understood  that  slaves  were  always  well 
and  kindly  treated.  It  must  be  realized  that  there  were 
many  thousand  masters  of  so  many  thousand  minds  and 
hearts.  It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  nearly 
every  one  of  these  many  thousand  masters  was  essaying 
his  utmost  to  make  his  slaves  as  valuable  as  possible  and 
knew  the  value  of  good  treatment  and  kindness  in  the 
development  of  the  serviceability  and  dependability  of  his 
slave. 

It  is  told  of  a  large  slave  owner,  one  in  Williamsburg 
District,  that  sometimes  he  moved  up  and  down  his  line 
of  slaves,  while  they  were  working  in  the  fields,  beating 
them  promiscuously  with  his  cane,  and  sometimes  he 
knocked  one  senseless.  It  is  told  of  another  slave  owner 
in  the  district  that  once  he  hanged  a  negro  man  up  by 
the  thumbs  and  used  the  claws  of  an  enraged  tom  cat  to 
lacerate  the  bare  back  of  the  suspended  slave.  These  two 
stories  are  probably  true.  Each  of  these  masters,  how¬ 
ever,  would  now  be  considered  a  paranoiac.  At  least  half 
of  the  descendants  of  each  one  of  them  have  spent  a 
considerable  part  of  their  lives  in  sanitariums  for  the 
treatment  of  nervous  diseases.  That  same  master  of  whom 
the  story  is  told  of  suspending  the  negro  by  the  thumbs 
was  seen  one  morning  digging  a  ditch  in  a  swamp  while 
several  of  his  slaves  stood  near  on  dry  ground.  A  man 
passing  asked  the  master  why  he  did  not  make  the  negroes 
do  the  work.  The  master  replied,  “It  might  make  the 
negroes  sick.” 


SLAVERY  AND  SECESSION 


335 


In  Williamsburg,  slave  owners  fed  and  clothed  their 
negroes  the  best  they  knew.  The  best  physicians  that 
could  be  secured  were  kept  on  the  plantations  and  negroes 
were  given  every  possible  medical  attention.  They  were 
too  valuable  to  lose.  Stories  of  cruelty  and  inhuman 
treatment  of  slaves  in  Williamsburg  in  individual  cases 
may  be  true  but  the  fact  remains  that  the  Williamsburg 
slave  prepared  his  master’s  food,  nursed  his  master’s 
children,  and  closed  his  master’s  eyes  in  death.  The 
master  loved  his  negro  and  the  negro  loved  his  master, 
and  out  of  their  relations,  grew  much  of  the  beauty  of 
the  world. 

In  1835,  petitions  from  the  North  began  to  flood  Con¬ 
gress  for  the  abolition  of  slavery  in  the  District  of  Colum¬ 
bia  and  from  this  time  until  slavery  was  abolished  in 
the  United  States,  the  activities  of  the  abolitionists  in¬ 
creased.  Almost  everything  done  by  act  of  Congress  in 
the  city  of  Washington  was  tinctured  with  the  slavery 
question  and  it  was  a  continuous  struggle  between  slavery 
and  the  anti-slavery  forces  to  secure  a  majority  in  the 
Congress.  The  anti-slavery  section  was  much  larger  in 
territory  and  in  population  than  the  slavery  section. 
Every  time,  during  this  period,  that  new  territory  asked 
to  be  admitted  into  the  Union,  there  was  a  fight  as  to 
whether  it  should  be  a  free  or  a  slave  state;  and  for  a 
long  time  states  were  admitted  in  pairs,  one  free  and  one 
slave.  They  could  be  admitted  in  no  other  way. 

This  continuous  agitation  on  the  subject  of  slavery,  the 
means  used  for  its  abolition  and  the  realization  of  the 
effect  of  its  abolition  on  the  South,  made  practically  every 
southern  planter  a  secessionist.  Until  about  1856,  when 
the  Dred  Scott  decision  was  delivered  by  Chief  Justice 
Taney,  there  had  been  a  great  many  union  men  in  South 
Carolina,  those  who  had  steadfastly  hoped  and  believed 
that  the  Union  might  continue  and  that  the  slavery  ques¬ 
tion  might  be  settled  without  secession.  Some  of  the 


336 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


best  men  in  Williamsburg  District  were  among  these 
union  men.  Love  for  the  United  States  of  America,  until 
1850,  was  nowhere  greater  than  it  was  in  Williamsburg. 
When  the  Unionists  of  Williamsburg  realized  that  the 
Dred  Scott  decision  would  be  nullified  by  some  means, 
and  when  they  fully  understood  the  principles  of  the  Con¬ 
stitution  of  the  United  States,  supplemented  by  the  de¬ 
cision  of  the  Supreme  Court,  would  be  nullified  in  one 
way  or  another,  then  all  Williamsburg  saw  that  seces¬ 
sion  was  the  only  way  that  states’  rights,  as  had  been  and 
were  being  held  in  these  parts,  could  be  maintained. 

In  1851,  there  was  an  election  held  in  the  State  of 
South  Carolina  on  the  question  of  secession.  The  largest 
vote  ever  cast  in  the  State  was  recorded  at  that  time, — 
Secession  17,056 ;  Cooperation,  24,914.  The  Secession 
party  after  its  election  renewed  its  efforts.  A  confidential 
letter  distributed  among  the  members  of  the  Secession 
party,  which  letter  was  written  by  Maxcy  Gregg,  after¬ 
wards  a  distinguished  general  in  the  Confederate  Army, 
contains  the  following  paragraphs:  “The  defeat  of  the 
Secession  Party  has  been  effected  by  a  coalition  of  Par¬ 
ties  repugnant  to  each  other  in  their  principles,  and  by 
means  most  pernicious  to  the  safety,  as  well  as  humiliat¬ 
ing  to  the  character,  of  the  State  of  South  Carolina. 

“The  Anti-Secession  coalition  is  composed  of  two  prin¬ 
cipal  sections.  The  first,  which  is  much  the  smallest 
(sic)  in  number  and  has  heretofore  been  regarded  as  of 
inconsiderable  power,  is  the  Union  Party.  Adherence  to 
the  Union,  at  the  expense  of  whatever  submission  and 
degradation  may  be  required,  is  the  object  of  this  party. 
The  success  of  the  coalition  thus  far  enures  to  the  benefit 
of  the  Union  Party. 

“Another  section  of  the  coalition,  and  a  much  larger  and 
more  powerful  one,  consists  of  disunion  men,  who,  sensible 
of  the  degradation  and  danger  of  our  condition,  desire  to 
resist,  and  to  form  a  Southern  Confederacy,  but  regard 


SLAVERY  AND  SECESSION 


337 


the  cooperation  of  other  States  in  the  resistance  either 
as  indispensable  or  of  such  paramount  importance  as  not 
to  justify  the  separate  action  of  South  Carolina  at  the 
present  time. 

“Between  these  two  sections  is  perhaps  to  be  placed 
another  class  of  men  professing  the  resistance  principles 
of  the  last  as  most  popular,  but  really  desirous  of  defeat¬ 
ing  all  efforts  for  resistance  and  continuing  in  the  Union. 
This  class  may  at  any  moment,  when  their  time  serving 
propensities  may  prompt  it,  bring  a  great  and  sudden  ac¬ 
cession  of  power  to  the  Union  Party. 

“Gloomy  as  is  the  prospect,  it  is  not  yet  necessary  to 
give  up  the  cause  of  the  State  in  utter  despair.  Sub¬ 
mission  is  not  yet  to  be  contemplated  as  our  inevitable 
destiny.” 

In  1852,  a  Secession  Convention  was  held  in  the  city 
of  Columbia,  at  which  the  resolution  as  follows  was 
adopted :  “We,  the  People  of  the  State  of  South  Carolina, 
in  Convention  assembled,  do  declare  and  ordain,  and  it 
is  hereby  declared  and  ordained,  That  South  Carolina, 
in  the  exercise  of  her  sovereign  will,  is  an  independent 
State,  acceded  to  the  Federal  Union,  known  as  the  United 
States  of  America,  and  that  in  the  exercise  of  the  same 
sovereign  will,  it  is  her  right,  without  let,  hindrance,  or 
molestation  from  any  power  whatsoever,  to  secede  from 
the  said  Federal  Union;  and  for  the  sufficiencv  of  the 
causes  which  may  impel  her  to  such  separation,  she  is 
responsible  alone,  under  God,  to  the  tribunal  of  public 
opinion  among  the  nations.”  The  representatives  from 
Williamsburg  were  S.  E.  Graham,  A.  W.  Dozier,  and  D.  M. 
Mason.  Mr.  Dozier  did  not  attend  this  convention. 

This  convention  shows  the  feeling  in  South  Carolina 
at  that  time.  It  makes  it  very  plain  that  all  hope  of  re¬ 
maining  in  the  Union  had  not  been  lost,  but  just  as 
clearly  does  it  show  the  determined  opposition  to  the  en- 


338 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


croachment  on  states’  rights  by  the  dominant  element  in 
the  American  Congress. 

In  1854,  Governor  James  H.  Adams  recommended  that 
the  African  slave  trade  be  opened.  Committees  were  ap¬ 
pointed  by  both  branches  of  the  Legislature  to  consider 
the  matter  and  report  at  its  next  session.  In  this  Legis¬ 
lature,  a  member  of  the  committee  appointed  by  the 
House  of  Representatives  was  J.  Johnston  Pettigrew,  one 
of  the  most  brilliant  men  that  South  Carolina  ever  pro¬ 
duced.  He  read  the  minority  report  for  this  special  com¬ 
mittee  of  the  House  of  Representatives.  Trescot  said  that 
it  was  “a  clear,  complete,  eloquent,  and  forceful  exposi¬ 
tion  of  the  convictions  of  three-fourths  of  the  slave 
holders  of  the  South.”  Pettigrew’s  report  is  one  of  the 
greatest  papers  of  the  slavery  regime.  Many  people  in 
South  Carolina  hoped  that  such  men  as  he  would  be  able 
so  to  direct  the  opinions  of  the  majority  that  secession  and 
bloodshed  would  be  avoided.  The  slave  trade  was  not 
reopened. 

There  were  at  this  time  eighteen  thousand  slaves  owned 
by  negro  masters  in  the  United  States  and  negro  masters 
in  the  State  of  South  Carolina  more  than  that  relatively 
proportionate  number.  There  were  some  negro  slave 
owners  in  Williamsburg.  The  descendants  of  Joshua 
Braveboy,  a  negro  who  had  won  his  freedom  on  account 
of  his  services  in  the  Revolutionary  War,  owned  many 
negroes  in  this  district. 

The  value  of  a  good  farm  negro  in  Williamsburg  in 
1800  was  $500.00;  in  1820,  $725.00;  in  1840,  $800.00;  in 
1850,  $700.00;  in  1860,  $1200.00.  Slaves  who  were  well 
trained  as  house  servants,  horsemen,  mechanics,  carpen¬ 
ters,  blacksmiths,  and  to  other  useful  trades,  frequently 
were  sold  for  prices  ranging  from  three  to  five  thousand 
dollars  in  gold.  In  1860,  South  Carolina  stood  third 
among  the  states  in  the  Union  in  per  capita  wealth,  $779.00 
a  head.  The  state  taxation  amounted  to  $1.85  per  capita. 


SLAVERY  AND  SECESSION 


339 


Slaves  and  general  wealth  were  probably  more  evenly 
divided  in  Williamsburg  County  in  1850  than  in  any 
other  district  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina.  There  were 
practically  no  poor  people  in  the  district  and  there  were 
few  who  were  very  wealthy.  There  was  no  place  in  the 
district  for  a  man  who  did  not  own  slaves  except  as  an 
overseer  of  slaves.  Men  who  did  not  own  slaves,  except 
those  who  could  find  places  as  overseers  on  the  planta¬ 
tions,  did  not  remain  long  in  Williamsburg.  They  mi¬ 
grated  westward.  Some  of  them  went  to  Kansas  and  to 
California  and  usually  became  spitfire  abolitionists.  The 
doings  of  Kansas,  Nebraska,  and  California  had  much 
more  influence  on  the  secession  of  the  South  and  the 
abolition  of  slavery  than  did  the  preaching  of  ministers 
and  the  publishing  of  pamphleteers  in  Massachusetts  and 
Ohio.  Some  of  the  very  men  who  could  find  no  place  in 
Williamsburg  were  those  most  aggressive  in  the  new 
states.  There  was,  however,  a  class  of  white  citizens  in 
Williamsburg  prior  to  1860  who  owned  but  a  few  slaves 
and  who  worked  with  their  own  hands.  These  were  the 
turpentine  men  who  began  coming  to  this  district  in  1843. 

From  1850  until  1860,  however  much  the  conservative 
element  in  South  Carolina  had  labored  to  avert  scession, 
it  was  known  that  such  would  finally  result.  The  relig¬ 
ious  denominations  in  the  countrv  broke  their  bonds  of 

ts 

union.  There  became  a  Presbyterian  Church  North  and 
a  Presbyterian  Church  South ;  a  Methodist  Church  North 
and  a  Methodist  Church  South;  and  a  Baptist  Church 
North  and  a  Baptist  Church  South.  The  Protestant  Epis¬ 
copal  Church  in  the  United  States  had  no  such  bond  of 
union  as  the  Presbyterians,  Baptists,  and  Methodists. 
Each  diocese  determined  for  its  own  territory  its  polity. 
It  had,  therefore,  no  reason  for  further  disunion. 

Theological  diplomats  of  these  several  denominations 
declared  one  reason  and  another  for  these  separations, 
but  all  their  ex  cathedra  utterances  were  so  thinly  veiled 


340 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


by  truth  that  the  everlasting  fact  stood  out  unmistakable 
and  clear.  The  ruling  element  in  the  membership  of 
Methodist,  Baptist,  and  Presbyterian  Churches  in  the 
North  held  that  slavery  was  wrong,  and  the  dominant 
faction  in  those  same  churches  in  the  South  declared  that 
slavery  was  right.  These  churches,  and  all  other  churches, 
by  whatsoever  name  known,  in  every  age  and  clime, 
follow  the  will  of  Man,  their  Creator,  Preserver,  and  Pro¬ 
moter.  Some  of  the  most  powerful  sermons  ever  preached 
in  Massachusetts  were  based  on  the  doctrine  that  Slavery 
was  the  incestuous  offspring  of  Sin  and  Death.  Even 
more  eloquent  were  some  of  the  proclamations  coming 
from  South  Carolina  pulpits  at  the  same  time  declaring 
that  same  slavery  most  pleasing  to  Almighty  God.  It  is 
strange  that  so  few  men  have  ever  realized  that  one  must 
go  straight  to  Almighty  God  to  find  the  Truth. 

Out  of  the  ever  increasing  conflict  and  the  more  and 
more  difficult  compromising  between  the  sectional  ideas 
existing  for  three  quarters  of  a  century  in  the  United 
States  in  the  matter  of  relationship  between  the  several 
states  and  the  Federal  Union,  with  the  difficult  economic 
condition  and  the  resultant  severity  of  feeling  induced 
by  African  slavery,  there  came  on  November  6,  1860,  the 
election  of  Abraham  Lincoln  as  President  of  the  United 
States.  The  southern  section  knew  that  it  had  lost  on 
the  forum  and  that  it  must  resort  to  the  field  to  realize 
its  rights. 

On  November  7,  1860,  the  day  after  Lincoln  was 
elected,  the  Grand  Jury  of  the  United  States  District 
Court  in  Charleston  refused  to  function.  When  asked  by 
the  judge  whether  the  jury  had  any  presentments  to  make, 
Robert  N.  Gourdin,  foreman,  replied,  in  effect :  “The 
verdict  of  the  ballot-box  on  yesterday  has  swept  away  the 
last  hope  for  the  permanence  of  the  Federal  Government 
of  these  several  States.  In  these  extraordinary  circum¬ 
stances,  the  Grand  Jury  respectfully  declines  to  proceed 


SLAVERY  AND  SECESSION 


341 


with  its  presentments.”  Whereupon,  Judge  A.  G.  Mc¬ 
Grath  arose,  doffed  his  silken  gown,  and  formally  resigned 
his  office,  saying,  in  part :  “So  far  as  I  am  concerned,  this 
Temple  of  Justice,  raised  under  the  Constitution  of  the 
United  States,  is  now  closed.  If  it  shall  never  be  again 
opened,  I  thank  God  that  its  doors  have  been  closed  before 
its  altar  has  been  desecrated  with  sacrifices  to  tyranny.” 

Governor  Gist  called  the  Legislature  of  the  State  in 
extraordinary  session,  recommended  that  the  militia  be 
reorganized,  the  whole  military  forces  of  the  State  placed 
in  a  position  to  be  used  at  shortest  notice,  and  every  man 
between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five  be  well  armed, 
and  that  the  services  of  ten  thousand  volunteers  be  im¬ 
mediately  accepted.  He  designated  November  21,  as  a 
day  to  be  observed  by  all  people  of  South  Carolina  in 
fasting  and  prayer,  pleading  for  Divine  guidance  in  the 
existing  condition. 

Secession  clubs  were  immediately  formed  in  every  Mili¬ 
tia  beat  in  Williamsburg  District.  On  December  16,  1860, 
the  Secession  flag  was  raised  in  Kingstree,  and  the  three 
delegates  which  Williamsburg  had  chosen  to  represent  it 
at  the  Secession  Convention  in  Columbia  on  December 
17,  John  G.  Pressley,  Anthony  W.  Dozier,  and  R.  C. 
Logan,  assembled  to  depart  for  the  convention.  About 
them,  as  they  left  the  Court  House  for  the  train,  there 
stood  all  Williamsburg.  The  district  had  gathered  to  ex¬ 
press  silently  and  unmistakably  its  verdict. 

On  December  20,  every  member  of  the  Secession  Con¬ 
vention  from  every  district  in  South  Carolina  signed  the 
Ordinance  of  Secession,  dissolving  the  bonds  between  the 
State  of  South  Carolina  and  the  Federal  Union.  Shouts 
of  deliverance  coming  from  that  Convention  Hall  in 
Charleston  were  sounded  unbroken  to  the  uttermost  ends 
of  the  Commonwealth.  That  night  bonfires  burned  and 
bugles  blew  in  every  city  and  hamlet  in  the  land. 


342 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


It  was  no  simple  matter  that  Williamsburg  had  con¬ 
sented  and  had  aided  in  the  dissolution  of  this  Federal 
Union,  which  it  had  so  valiantly  served  to  create  and 
which  it  had  sustained  with  its  best  blood  for  three 
quarters  of  a  century.  It  had  not  forgotten  Marion  and 
Mouzon  and  Macaulay  and  McCottry  and  James  and 
Scott.  Its  children  had  played  about  patriots*  graves  in 
infancy  and  its  old  men  had  told  tales  of  their  heroism 
about  every  fireside  in  the  land.  The  Declaration  of  In¬ 
dependence  hung  in  every  hall  in  the  district  and  it  had 
been  read  at  public  gatherings  on  every  birthday  of  the 
nation.  Secession  came  out  of  the  depths  of  Williams¬ 
burg. 


LIEUT.  COL.  JOHN  G.  PRESSLEY,  C.  S.  A 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861. 

On  January  1,  1861,  at  a  gathering  of  the  men  and 
women  of  Williamsburg,  the  Wee  Xee  Volunteers  were 
organized  into  a  company  for  serving  the  State.  It  was 
some  privilege  to  have  the  opportunity  of  placing  one’s 
name  on  the  list  of  this  company  and  of  answering  its 
first  roll  call.  The  men  who  were  accepted  were  select 
men  from  every  part  of  Williamsburg  District.  Com¬ 
munities  contested  for  the  number  of  representatives  they 
should  furnish  and  the  list,  which  was  finally  made,  con¬ 
tained  names  that  were  known  at  Tours,  Hastings,  Run- 
nymede,  Bannockburn,  Black  Mingo,  Camden,  Cowpens, 
and  Yorktown. 

Here  is  the  first  Muster  Roll  of  the  Wee  Xee  Volunteers 
that  left  Kingstree  for  Charleston,  January  4,  1861:  John 
G.  Pressley,  captain ;  Samuel  W.  Maurice,  first  lieutenant ; 
R.  C.  Logan,  second  lieutenant  ;  E.  C.  Keels,  third  lieu¬ 
tenant;  D.  B.  McCreight,  first  sergeant;  W.  R.  Brockin- 
ton,  second  sergeant;  S.  McBride  Scott,  third  sergeant; 

G.  F.  McClary,  fourth  sergeant;  W.  A.  China,  fifth  ser¬ 
geant;  John  A.  Keels,  sixth  sergeant;  J.  B.  Montgomery, 
first  corporal;  S.  I.  Montgomery,  second  corporal;  F.  J. 
Lesesne,  third  corporal;  T.  S.  Chandler,  fourth  corporal; 

H.  Montgomery,  Jr.,  fifth  corporal;  and  S.  F.  Pender¬ 
grass,  sixth  corporal ;  privates :  E.  S.  Arines,  James 
Bradley,  J.  S.  Brockinton,  B.  P.  Brockinton,  S.  D.  M. 
Byrd,  R.  J.  Bradham,  J.  A.  Bradham,  R.  H.  Barrineau, 
F.  W.  Boyd,  T.  J.  China,  S.  M.  China,  J.  R.  China,  W.  D. 
Cook,  J  .F.  Cook,  X.  J.  Conde,  P.  J.  Creesey,  S.  W.  Crapps, 
W.  J.  Cockfield,  W.  D.  Duke,  David  Epps,  A.  W.  Ezell, 
John  Frierson,  W.  X.  Fluitt,  D.  P.  Fulton,  J.  M.  Foot¬ 
man,  W.  J.  Ferrell,  J.  A.  Feagin,  T.  B.  Fleming,  J.  W. 
Gamble,  W.  G.  Gamble,  William  Guess,  J.  G.  Green,  R. 


344 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Henry,  Janies  Hopkins,  Charles  Jones,  J.  H.  Keels,  J. 
M.  Kirton,  S.  W.  Kirton,  C.  Lesesne,  E.  R.  Lesesne,  D.  W. 
Logan,  Calhoun  Logan,  H.  J.  Lynam,  C.  S.  Land,  D.  C. 
McClary,  S.  B.  McClary,  S.  A.  McClary,  J.  L.  McClary, 
William  McCollough,  J.  S.  McCollough,  J.  P.  McElveen, 
Geo.  G.  McElveen,  W.  M.  McCrea,  T.  A.  McCrea,  A.  J. 
McCants,  C.  W.  McClam,  W.  M.  McKnight,  E.  R.  Martin, 
J.  J.  Martin,  I.  J.  Martin,  J.  T.  Modlin,  E.  P.  Mont¬ 
gomery,  J.  F.  Montgomery,  S.  Montgomery,  J.  A.  Mont¬ 
gomery,  W.  J.  Montgomery,  D.  K.  Mouzon,  J.  P.  Mouzon, 
W.  E.  Mouzon,  S.  S.  Mitchum,  G.  K.  Mitchum,  J.  M. 
Morris,  T.  E.  Ragin,  Henry  Ragin,  J.  A.  Nexsen,  E.  B. 
Scott,  W.  P.  Scott,  W.  N.  Y.  Rodgers,  B.  F.  Scott,  T.  J. 
Strong,  J.  Y.  Tisdale,  J.  S.  Tisdale,  S.  Tisdale,  George 
Wear,  T.  A.  Wallace,  A.  Welch,  L.  E.  Young. 

The  Wee  Nee  Volunteers  entrained  at  Kingstree  for 
Charleston  on  January  4,  1861.  That  very  day  the  North, 
by  proclamation  of  President  Buchanan,  was  spending 
in  fasting,  humiliation,  and  prayer  “to  avert  the  alarm¬ 
ing  immediate  political  dangers  and  the  fearful  distress 
and  panic  in  the  land.”  For  about  two  months,  to  Presi¬ 
dent  Buchanan  and  the  North  was  Darkness  visible.  They 
remembered  South  Carolina  and  1832,  and  hoped.  But 
Andrew  Jackson,  a  South  Carolinian,  was  then  President. 
Yet  sixty  more  days  and  another  South  Carolinian,  hardly 
knowing  his  own  high  birthright,  came  with  the  Day  in 
the  hollow  of  his  hands. 

During  this  sixty  days,  there  was  about  as  much  un¬ 
certainty  at  the  North  as  there  was  certainty  at  the  South. 
The  South  said :  “Cotton  is  King  and  the  Nations  of  the 
Earth  will  fall  down  before  him.  Yankees  will  not  fight. 
We  can  wipe  up  with  one  cotton  handkerchief  all  the 
blood  spilled;  God  is  with  us,  for  slavery  is  a  divinely 
appointed  institution.” 

South  Carolina  women  wore  bonnets  of  white  and 
black  cotton,  long  waving  plumes  fashioned  out  of  fleecy 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


345 


staple,  streamers  ornamented  with  palmetto  trees  and 
stars  embroidered  in  gold.  Orators  inspired  the  multi¬ 
tudes  with  tales  of  the  heroism  of  the  South  Carolina  for¬ 
bears  in  the  War  of  the  Revolution.  Ministers  proved 
conclusively  to  them  that  African  slavery  was  pleasing 
to  Almighty  God  and  that  He  would  give  victory  to 
southern  arms. 

In  the  North,  fanatical  abolitionists  who  had  crusaded 
for  this  condition  for  so  many  years,  gloated  over  the 
blood  stained  fields  they  saw  in  the  future.  These  fren¬ 
zied  abolitionists  were  about  the  only  people,  North  or 
South,  who  were  happy.  They  were  frantic  for  the  sight 
of  blood.  From  afar  they  glutted  their  souls  on  it  at 
Gettysburg. 

There  were  many  serious  efforts  made  to  avert  the  War. 
The  North  would  not  consent  to  the  withdrawal  of  the 
Southern  States.  The  South  would  not  reunite  with  any 
territory  opposing  African  slavery.  Finally  the  North, 
with  the  New  York  Herald,  realized,  “The  discussion  of 
the  right  and  the  wrong  in  the  matter,  and  the  constitu¬ 
tionality  of  this  thing,  that  thing,  or  the  other,  would 
now  be  a  waste  of  time.”  This  same  paper,  at  the  same 
time,  said :  “The  longest  purse  and  the  largest  popula¬ 
tion,  when  both  races  are  equally  brave,  must  tell  in  the 
end,  and  give  the  final  victory  to  the  North.” 

Finally,  at  four  thirty  o’clock  on  the  morning  of  April 
12,  1861,  General  Beauregard,  commanding  the  Confede¬ 
rate  troops  at  Charleston,  fired  on  Fort  Sumter,  occupied 
by  Union  troops  under  Major  Anderson.  Major  Ander¬ 
son  and  his  garrison  of  sixty-five  men  returned  the  fire. 
This  was  a  beautiful  battle.  The  bombardment  lasted 
thirty-four  hours.  Once  the  Confederate  flag  was  shot 
down  from  Fort  Gregg.  Samuel  Montgomery  and  David 
Duke,  of  Williamsburg,  volunteered  and  replaced  it.  The 
defenders  of  Fort  Sumter  saw  this  act  of  valor  and 
ceased  firing  for  a  moment.  When  these  two  Williams- 


346 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


burg  men  realized  their  enemy  recognized  and  respected 
their  bravery,  they  both  faced  the  foe,  drew  themselves 
rigidly  to  attention,  and  saluted  him.  Major  Anderson 
capitulated  on  April  13,  1861,  and  on  Sunday,  April  14, 
1861,  marched  his  little  force  from  the  fort  on  to  a  wait¬ 
ing  Union  transport,  his  banners  flying  and  his  bands  play¬ 
ing.  As  the  transport  made  its  way  out  of  the  harbor,  the 
Confederate  forces  along  the  beaches  uncovered,  honor¬ 
ing  a  brave  and  chivalrous  enemy.  The  War  between  the 
Sections  had  begun.  Not  a  man  on  either  side  had  been 
killed  in  the  first  battle. 

The  big  guns  fired  during  the  Battle  of  Fort  Sumter 
were  distinctly  heard  in  Williamsburg.  At  first  these 
people  along  Black  River  thought  the  roar  of  the  cannon 
was  nothing  more  than  a  summer  thunderstorm,  but 
soon  was  realized  the  noise  of  battle.  And  Williamsburg 
was  there! 

When  the  six  months  time  for  which  the  Wee  Nee  Volun¬ 
teers  enlisted  had  expired,  the  company  returned  to 
Kingstree  and  was  reorganized.  On  September  5,  1861, 
it  joined  the  Twenty-Fifth  South  Carolina  Regiment  at 
Fort  Johnson.  The  Muster  Roll  then  showed;  John  G. 
Pressley,  captain;  Thomas  J.  China,  first  lieutenant,  age 
32;  Calhoun  Logan,  second  lieutenant,  25;  Henry  Mont¬ 
gomery,  third  lieutenant,  29;  (Brevet  second  lieutenant)  ; 
B.  P.  Brockinton,  first  sergeant,  36;  J.  M.  Footman, 
second  sergeant,  31;  W.  D.  Duke,  third  sergeant;  J.  G. 
Tisdale,  fourth  sergeant;  D.  M.  McClary,  fifth  sergeant; 
J.  R.  China,  first  corporal,  20;  S.  M.  China,  second  corpo¬ 
ral;  J.  L.  McClary,  third  corporal;  T.  B.  Fleming,  fourth 
corporal;  L.  E.  Young,  fifth  corporal;  and  J.  C.  Sanders, 
sixth  corporal. 

Privates :  D.  A.  Allen,  37 ;  E.  G.  Ard,  23 ;  James  Ard, 
Jr.,  23;  Joseph  Ard,  25;  S.  Reuben  Ard,  21;  M.  R.  D. 
Baker;  J.  T.  Barrineau,  25;  Joseph  Bradshaw;  Jesse  W. 
Braxton;  S.  W.  Browder;  H.  J.  Brown,  20;  M.  A.  Brown; 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


347 


J.  M.  Buckles;  James  M.  Burgess;  W.  E.  Graham,  16; 
J.  F.  Jones,  40;  H.  J.  Cameron;  J.  W.  Cameron;  J.  S. 
Coker;  P.  J.  Coker;  S.  L.  Coker;  T.  J.  Cook,  24;  W.  D. 
Cook,  27;  A.  B.  Cooper,  23;  Jesse  E.  Christmas;  E.  G. 
Dennis,  32;  S.  R.  Dennis,  22;  B.  F.  Duke,  16;  R.  E. 
Duke,  20;  E.  S.  Ellis,  30;  J.  H.  Epps;  J.  J.  Evans;  R. 
E.  Feagan;  W.  E.  Fleming;  G.  S.  Floyd;  J.  K.  Gamble, 
18;  R.  K.  Gamble,  16;  George  Gist,  18;  S.  J.  Graham; 
G.  A.  Guess,  30;  S.  S.  James,  23;  Joseph  J.  Jaudon,  22; 
John  W.  Jayroe,  18;  Edward  Johnson;  Samuel  M.  June, 
17 ;  J.  W.  Kelly,  18 ;  E.  J.  Kelly ;  W.  J.  Knox ;  James 
Land;  Isaac  E.  Lee,  17 ;  R.  K.  Liles;  John  Markey;  J.  M. 
Matthews,  20;  S.  A.  McClary,  33;  J.  E.  McCullough,  32; 
T.  M.  McConnell,  40;  P.  B.  McCormick;  Shadrack  Mc¬ 
Kenzie;  Charles  Mitchum;  G.  K.  Mitchum,  39;  J.  S. 
Mitchum,  38 ;  S.  E.  Montgomery,  29 ;  Samuel  Montgomery ; 
J.  B.  Parker;  W.  K.  Parker;  A.  J.  Parsons,  24;  D.  M. 
Smith,  29;  E.  W.  Rush,  23;  J.  C.  Sanders;  W.  J.  C. 
Scurry;  H.  D.  Shaw,  Jr.;  E.  J.  Singletary;  J.  E.  Thig¬ 
pen;  W.  H.  Thigpen;  W.  W.  Tisdale,  18;  Hugh  Tyler, 
23;  R.  B.  Walters,  23;  G.  H.  Young,  18;  L.  E.  Young; 
and  W.  H.  Young,  23. 

These  enlisted  in  the  company  at  Battery  Island, 
February  26,  1862 :  D/.  E.  Adams,  35 ;  C.  R.  Barrineau ; 
E.  M.  Barrineau,  16;  G.  W.  Barrineau,  38;  John  Bar¬ 
rineau;  R.  H.  Barrineau,  30;  W.  L.  Barrineau,  22;  J.  A. 
Bradham,  21;  I.  M.  Brown,  17;  J.  H.  Burgess,  19;  R.  G. 
Burgess,  18 ;  W.  J.  Burgess ;  E.  R.  Cook,  22 ;  T.  J.  Dukes, 
18;  H.  E.  Footman,  17;  H.  S.  Grayson,  18;  W.  E.  James, 
25;  J.  M.  Grayson,  20;  W.  Guess,  32;  J.  B.  Johnson, 
17 ;  W.  M.  Kinder ;  W.  F.  Lambert ;  E.  R.  Martin ;  I.  J. 
Martin,  28 ;  G.  F.  McClary ;  D.  M.  McClary,  30 ;  E.  R. 
Mouzon,  44 ;  J.  G.  McCants,  17 ;  Isaac  Montgomery,  25 ; 
J.  S.  McCullough;  W.  M.  McKnight,  28;  J.  B.  Miller; 
J.  T.  Miller;  E.  P.  Montgomery,  20;  el.  A.  Montgomery, 
22;  J.  B.  Montgomery;  J.  F.  Montgomery,  28;  S.  J. 


348 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Montgomery;  S.  R.  Monzon;  F.  R.  Parsons,  30;  W.  H. 
Parsons,  32;  J.  M.  Player,  30;  E.  M.  Smith,  30;  John 
Wilson,  23;  and  P.  Wilson,  25. 

These  at  Coles  Island,  December  30,  1861 :  J.  A.  Fea- 
gan,  22;  H.  S.  Garner,  18;  J.  J.  Johnston;  W.  D.  Logan, 
30;  E.  W.  McClam;  S.  S.  Mitchum. 

At  the  same  time,  Captain  Pressley  reorganized  the  Wee 
Nee  Volunteers  in  Kingstree  in  July,  1861,  Lieutenant 
Samuel  W.  Maurice  withdrew  and  became  Captain  of 
the  Wee  Nee  Riflemen,  which  he  organized.  The  Wee  Nee 
Riflemen  became  a  part  of  the  Third  Regiment,  Pee  Dee 
Legion,  at  Camp  Harlee,  near  Georgetown.  Follows  a 
list  of  this  company :  Samuel  W.  Maurice,  captain ;  R. 
C.  Logan,  first  lieutenant;  William  McCullough,  second 
lieutenant;  S.  Isaac  Montgomery,  third  lieutenant;  W.  M. 
McCrea,  first  sergeant;  D.  M.  Duke,  second  sergeant;  S. 
B.  McClary,  third  sergeant ;  S.  S.  Tisdale,  fourth  sergeant ; 

E.  P.  Montgomery,  fifth  sergeant;  R.  A.  Murphy,  first 
corporal;  T.  F.  Duke,  second  corporal;  Alexander  Mont¬ 
gomery,  third  corporal;  S.  W.  Curtain,  fourth  corporal; 
N.  G.  Rich,  fifth  corporal. 

Privates:  W.  J.  Adams,  J.  E.  Barrineau,  J.  A.  Brad- 
ham,  John  Bradham,  J.  M.  Brown,  J.  S.  Brockinton, 

F.  W.  Boyd,  Charles  Boyd,  R.  W.  Boyd,  T.  E.  Barfield, 
A.  E.  Brown,  F.  G.  Cantley,  S.  J.  Carter,  H.  W.  Carter, 
S.  W.  Crapps,  William  Cooper,  Jr.,  J.  J.  Cooper,  P.  C. 
Creesy,  J.  S.  Cunningham,  T.  J.  Duke,  S.  Dreifus,  L. 
Donath,  J.  L.  Ferrell,  H.  E.  Footman,  Robert  Gamble, 
A.  F.  Gardner,  H.  L.  Grayson,  William  Guess,  K.  Guinna, 
L.  Grendfield,  R.  Henry,  R.  H.  Hudson,  Edward  Howard, 
Samuel  Hanna,  A.  M.  Jayroe,  J.  B.  Johnston,  J.  M.  Kir- 
ton,  Joe  Lewis,  W.  B.  Lester,  S.  L.  S.  Lifrage,  T.  B. 
Logan,  J.  G.  Martin,  E.  R.  Martin,  D  .Z.  Martin,  W.  J. 
Montgomery,  J.  B.  Montgomery,  J.  F.  Montgomery,  John 
Morris,  Augustus  Morris,  J.  P.  Mouzon,  D.  K.  Mouzon, 
S.  R.  Mouzon,  J.  C.  Murphy,  S.  D.  McGill,  R.  B.  McClary, 


COL.  JAMES  F.  PRESSLEY. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


349 


J.  J.  McCants,  H.  A.  McCullough,  John  McCabe,  T.  A. 
McCrea,  J.  A.  Nexsen,  W.  H.  Pace,  T.  E.  Ragin,  R.  F. 
Scott,  J.  F.  Scott,  J.  E.  Scott,  J.  M.  Speights,  Elias 
Speights,  T.  J.  Strong,  J.  J.  Steele,  T.  S.  Steele,  T.  S. 
Stuart,  M.  Schwartz,  W.  J.  Tisdale,  J.  H.  Tisdale,  J.  T. 
Tisdale,  R.  S.  Tisdale,  and  John  Thompson. 

The  Tenth  Regiment  was  mustered  into  service  of  the 
Confederate  States,  July  19,  1861,  for  a  term  of  twelve 
months,  at  White’s  Bridge  near  Georgetown,  South  Caro¬ 
lina.  The  officers  of  the  Regiment  then  were:  A.  M. 
Manigault,  colonel,  36;  James  F.  Pressley,  lieutenant 
colonel,  26 ;  A.  J.  Shaw,  major,  32 ;  C.  I.  Walker,  adjutant 
captain,  19 ;  B.  H.  Wilson,  quarter  master  captain,  42 ; 
T.  N.  Britton,  commissary  and  captain,  46;  J.  P.  Cain, 
assistant  surgeon  and  first  lieutenant;  W.  T.  Capers, 
chaplain  and  first  lieutenant,  36;  H.  E.  Huger,  sergeant 
major,  17 ;  J.  F.  B.  Leighton,  quarter  master  sergeant,  47. 

Several  companies  were  organized  in  Williamsburg  in 
the  early  summer  of  1861  and  joined  the  Tenth  South 
Carolina  Regiment  under  Colonel  Manigault. 

Company  E  of  the  Tenth  Regiment  South  Carolina 
mustered  on  July  19,  1861  at  White’s  Bridge  :  James  F. 
Carraway,  captain,  34;  F.  M.  Miller,  first  lieutenant,  22; 
F.  M.  Britton,  second  lieutenant,  23;  J.  F.  D.  Britton, 
third  lieutenant,  45;  J.  P.  Anderson,  first  sergeant,  23; 

D.  D.  Barr,  second  sergeant,  24;  S.  I.  Wilson,  third 
sergeant,  26 ;  W.  P.  Nesmith,  fourth  sergeant,  27 ;  J.  T. 
McConnell,  fifth  sergeant,  26;  Thomas  M.  Britton,  first 
corporal,  29;  I.  W.  Hughes,  second  corporal,  42;  T.  N. 
Martin,  third  corporal,  24;  Thomas  G.  Altman,  fourth 
corpora],  29. 

Privates :  R.  H.  Gibson,  24 ;  C.  W.  Cockfield,  40 ;  R. 
T.  B.  Abrams,  40;  A.  Akerman,  43;  T.  E.  Altman,  24; 

E.  G.  Barrineau,  21 ;  W.  I.  Britton,  18 ;  T.  J.  Britton,  16 ; 
S.  S.  Britton,  19;  J.  W.  Baxley,  38;  W.  I.  Baxley,  33; 
J.  F.  Brockinton,  Sr.,  38;  J.  F.  Brockinton,  Jr.,  17;  J.  S. 


350 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Brockinton,  IT ;  Benjamin  Beatty,  19 ;  H.  W.  Blakely, 
19;  B.  E.  Britton,  23;  J.  H.  Cockfield,  21;  J.  C.  Conrad, 
26 ;  A.  J.  Council,  38 ;  George  Cumbee,  24 ;  J.  B.  Freeman, 
24;  L.  W.  Fenters,  21;  D.  F.  Fenters,  29;  J.  C.  Fen¬ 
ters,  27;  W.  Daniel  Fenters,.  18;  J.  J.  Fenters,  20; 
Gilkee  Fenters,  24 ;  L.  F.  Fenters,  29 ;  J.  B.  Godwin,.  17 ; 

N.  H.  Griggs,  35 ;  David  Greetless,  17 ;  D.  B.  Hughes, 
21;  G.  A.  Howard,  21;  J.  W.  Howard,  45;  F.  M. 
Howard,  17;  W.  B.  Herdick,  19;  W.  J.  Hewitt,  21;  M. 

O.  E.  Hickson,  24;  Daniel  Johnson,  30;  J.  M.  Johnson, 
30;  G.  W.  Johnson,  21;  J.  P.  Johnson,  45;  Gilbert  John¬ 
son,  18;  R.  H.  Kimball,  45;  Henry  Young,  23;  John 
Young,  21;  J.  C.  P.  Martin,  26;  W.  A.  Marshall,  22; 

H.  L.  Marlow,  20;  R.  G.  Martin,  30;  J.  F.  Martin,  25; 

I.  F.  Martin,  36;  E.  Morris,  44;  J.  Z.  McConnell,  26; 
H.  T.  McConnell,  17;  John  McNaemee,  26;  E.  I.  Moyd, 
26;  J.  G.  Miller,  19;  J.  J.  Miller,  18;  W.  H.  Miller,  20; 

J.  L.  M.  Smith,  21;  B.  S.  M.  Smith,  16  ;  G.  I.  Nesmith, 
16;  Nathaniel  Nesmith,  22;  W.  I.  Pipkin,  27;  Thomas 
Port,  35;  E.  T.  Ray,  32;  J.  B.  Russ,  39;  W.  C.  Small, 
40;  J.  H.  Smith,  22;  D.  C.  Tilton,  17;  W.  T.  Wallace, 
19 ;  J.  W.  Sauls,  21 ;  J.  W.  Cherry,  22 ;  William  W.  Bras¬ 
well,  22. 

The  Muster  Roll  of  Captain  J.  R.  Nettles’  Company  H, 
July  19,  1861,  for  a  term  of  twelve  months :  J.  R.  Nettles, 
captain,  22 ;  W.  J.  M.  Lee,  'first  lieutenant,  23 ;  S.  P. 
Burket,  second  lieutenant,  38;  W.  D.  Fitch,  third  lieu¬ 
tenant,  20;  J.  C.  Osborne,  first  sergeant,  43;  E.  M. 
Scurry,  second  sergeant,  36 ;  J.  M.  Weaver,  third  sergeant, 
29 ;  E.  S.  Sauls,  fourth  sergeant,  27 ;  J.  T.  Kirby,  first 
corporal,  21;  S.  F.  R.  Godwin,  second  corporal,  19;  J.  J. 
McKnight,  third  corporal,  21;  John  McGee,  fourth  cor¬ 
poral,  26;  Samuel  Kirby,  fifth  corporal,  26;  S.  W.  Mc- 
Clam,  sixth  corporal,  23;  R.  N.  Brown,  seventh  corporal, 
23. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861  351 

Privates:  G.  W.  Anderson,  41;  S.  W.  Burrows,  22; 
W.  P.  Budden,  23;  T.  E.  Burkett,  23;  Moses  Braveboy, 
19 ;  M.  M.  Braveboy,  23 ;  J.  W.  Brown,  16 ;  J.  W.  Carter, 
22 ;  J.  M.  T.  Carter,  24 ;  J.  P.  Cannadv,  29 ;  Allen  Cook, 
24 ;  J.  W.  Cook,  34 ;  E.  W.  Cook,  19 ;  M.  B.  Coward,  18 ; 
D.  C.  Coward,  25;  E.  Cain,  26;  W.  Collins,  26;  E.  Car- 
raway,  23;  W.  Carraway,  27;  E.  W.  Daniels,  25;  A.  H. 
Evans,  35;  J.  E.  Evans,  18;  R.  N.  Flowers,  19;  E.  A. 
Flowers,  21;  L.  D.  Floyd,  20;  J.  O.  Filligan,  39;  Alfred 
Gray,  21 ;  N.  Gray,  25 ;  D.  B.  Godwin,  22 ;  G.  W.  Graham, 
25;  G.  D.  Green,  25;  W.  M.  Gause,  25;  J.  W.  Huggins; 
J.  I.  Huggins,  20;  A.  J.  Hatchell;  T.  H.  Hatchell;  J.  N. 
Hatchell,  24;  D.  Hanford;  M.  Jones;  G.  W.  James; 
L.  Jones,  16;  W.  Jones,  18;  T.  Jordan,  15;  D.  P.  Kirby, 
27 ;  R.  W.  Kirby,  25 ;  J.  M.  Lacey,  18 ;  M.  C.  Langston, 
24;  James  L.  Lee,  22;  Hampton  Lee,  20;  John  Laws, 
19 ;  C.  W.  Lee,  18 ;  J.  L.  Lynch,  18 ;  J.  W.  Lee,  19 ;  W.  C. 
Lee,  22;  W.  M.  C.  Lee,  19;  N.  D.  Lee,  20;  J.  A.  Lee, 

22;  B.  Lee,  19;  A.  R.  Lee,  20;  Jason  Lynch,  18;  A. 

Lynch,  16;  R.  I.  McKnight,  18;  William  Matthews,  60; 
A.  M.  Matthews,  20;  H.  Matthews,  19;  P.  McGee,  24; 

S.  Miles,  38;  M.  Matthews,  21;  G.  W.  Matthews,  21; 

F.  Matthews,  25;  John  McKnight,  20;  G.  R.  Matthews, 
28;  Elias  Matthews,  18;  R.  M.  Matthews,  19;  S.  I. 
Kettles,  17;  Joseph  Pate,  24;  N.  S.  Parker,  30;  Alex 
Parker,  28;  G.  W.  Reed,  30;  W.  D.  Smith,  39;  S.  D. 
Smith,  42 ;  R.  Spring,  26 ;  J.  J.  Steele,  20 ;  T.  H.  Wilkes, 
23;  S.  A.  Young,  20. 

Company  I,  Tenth  Regiment,  enlisted  on  August  13, 
1861,  for  a  term  of  twelve  months,  at  White’s  Bridge. 
There  were  about  as  many  men  in  this  company  from 
Williamsburg  as  from  Marion.  H.  M.  Lofton,  captain, 
21;  B.  B.  McKnight,  first  lieutenant,  21;  S.  S.  Gasque, 
second  lieutenant,  36;  B.  Poston,  third  lieutenant,  34; 
Jasper  Bartell,  first  sergeant,  40;  Andrew  Poston,  second 
sergeant,  32;  T.  J.  Bostwick,  third  sergeant,  26;  William 


352 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Bartell,  fourth  sergeant,  30 ;  Ransom  Turbeville,  first 
corporal,  22;  N.  C.  Hicks,  second  corporal,  16;  G.  C. 
Finklea,  third  corporal,  19;  W.  H.  Me  White,  fourth  cor¬ 
poral,  17. 

Privates:  Jacob  Atkinson,  34;  C.  T.  Altman,  22;  A.  T. 
Altman,  42;  D.  J.  Andrews,  39;  B.  Ard,  18;  J.  A.  Askins, 
18 ;  B.  J.  Barnes,  37 ;  J.  H.  Bostwick,  17 ;  J.  B.  Brogdon, 
18;  E.  E.  Cain,  32;  William  Cain,  22;  W.  E.  Carter,  27; 
James  Calcobb;  L.  Cooper,  28;  S.  Cooper,  23;  N.  B. 
Cowls,  40 ;  R.  Finklea,  21 ;  W.  B.  Finklea,  48 ;  C.  Flowers, 
32 ;  J.  H.  Flowers,  21 ;  C.  B.  Foxworth,  32 ;  D.  W.  Glas- 
sen,  32;  J.  J.  Gordon,  45;  A.  B.  Gordon,  40;  J.  B.  Hanes, 
19;  D.  P.  Hanna,  24;  J.  R.  Hanna,  28;  E.  Hanna,  18; 
J.  H.  Holland,  30 ;  E.  B.  Hutchinson,  21 ;  J.  H.  Hutchin¬ 
son,  33;  L.  N.  Hutchinson,  18;  J.  L.  Hammond,  40; 
W.  L.  Hammond,  34;  W.  A.  Lee,  16;  W.  E.  McGee,  22; 
T.  Mayville,  18;  W.  W.  McKissick,  24;  B.  A.  Poston, 
18 ;  W.  Poston,  27 ;  J.  H.  Poston,  30 ;  J.  L.  Poston,  17 ; 
M.  M.  Poston,  25;  T.  W.  Poston,  43;  W.  L.  Poston;  A. 
Poston;  J.  S.  Powell,  42;  S.  C.  Powell,  31;  M.  B. 
Prosser,  23;  Nathan  Prosser,  35;  B.  Shaw,  25;  D.  C. 
Smith,  24;  S.  B.  Sturges,  25;  John  Tanner,  21;  L.  Tanner, 
24 ;  E.  P.  Wiggins,  16 ;  S.  Williams,  17 ;  A.  Willebard, 
16;  D.  W.  Woodson,  27. 

Captain  William  B.  Gordon’s  Company,  for  some  time 
stationed  as  guard  at  the  Northeastern  Railway’s  Santee 
Bridge,  afterwards  became  Company  K,  of  the  Twenty- 
Fifth  Regiment.  The  Muster  Roll  of  Captain  Gordon’s 
Company  follows :  William  B.  Gordon,  captain ;  Francis 
J.  Lesesne,  first  lieutenant;  Samuel  McDonald,  second 
lieutenant;  Charles  Lesesne,  first  sergeant;  Joseph  W. 
Gamble,  second  sergeant;  Edward  R.  Lesesne,  third  ser¬ 
geant;  Thomas  H.  Davis,  fourth  sergeant;  William  H. 
McConnell,  first  corporal;  Javhew  P.  Cooper,  second 
corporal;  James  H.  Brunson,  third  corporal. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


353 


Privates:  Tkeo.  M.  Lifrage,  Nicholas  T.  Altman,  Wih 
liam  J.  Altman,  Eliliu  Ard,  John  Ard,  Benjamin  Ard, 
Malacki  Bradshaw,  Thomas  E.  Blakely,  Thomas  W. 
Blakely,  John  J.  Blakely,  William  J.  Blakely,  Isaac 
Browder,  McKenzie  Browder,  Edwin  Browder,  Benjamin 
R.  Browder,  James  W.  Browder,  Gadsden  Browder,  Wil¬ 
liam  T.  Browder,  Thomas  E.  Barfield,  William  R.  Burdick, 
John  Cubstead,  John  J.  Cooper,  John  David,  James  E. 
Davis,  Andrew  J.  Davis,  John  Davis,  Jay  hew  P.  Davis, 
Thomas  B.  Davis,  Solomon  Driefus,  George  Gamble, 
Louis  Grendfeld,  Benjamin  Hix,  John  Hix,  William 
Hodge,  David  Hodge,  John  H.  Hodge,  Thomas  T.  Keels, 
Jay  hew  H.  Lamb,  Samuel  D.  Lamb,  Britton  L.  Land, 
Thomas  S.  Lesesne,  George  Martin,  George  K.  McDonald, 
Maj  or  H.  Mitchum,  John  B.  Mitckum,  John  S.  Mitchum, 
Charles  M.  Matthews,  John  N.  Mims,  John  G.  Player, 
Sylvester  D.  Player,  Joel  G.  Rkodus,  John  A.  Salters, 
William  W.  Smith,  Francis  N.  Smith,  William  N.  Stukes, 
James  D.  Thomas,  George  W.  Ferry,  Samuel  Wilder,  and 
John  Wilder. 

The  Williamsburg  Riflemen  was  organized  September 
16,  1861,  by  Captain  J.  B.  Chandler,  who  resigned  Decem¬ 
ber  1,  1861,  and  Captain  James  McCutchen  was  promoted 
from  First  Lieutenant  and  commanded  the  Company 
during  its  battle  service.  It  became  Company  G,  Fif¬ 
teenth  Regiment,  Colonel  W.  G.  DeSaussure.  Here  fol¬ 
lows  the  roll  at  its  organization :  J.  B.  Chandler,  captain, 
33;  James  McCutchen,  first  lieutenant,  31;  William  M. 
Haselden,  second  lieutenant,  21;  Benjamin  P.  Barron, 
second  lieutenant,  21 ;  Thomas  M.  Fulton,  first  sergeant, 
24 ;  Martin  V.  Timmons,  second  sergeant,  24 ;  William  J. 
Wilson,  third  sergeant,  26 ;  Hugh  D.  Gamble,  fourth 
sergeant,  27;  John  J.  Brown,  first  corporal,  20;  William 
N.  Johnson,  second  corporal,  20;  Thomas  J.  Burrows, 
third  sergeant,  18;  Robert  Nesmith,  fourth  sergeant,  19. 

Privates:  John  B.  Abrams,  31;  Samuel  R.  Ard,  35; 


354 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Bartemus  L.  Barrineau,  47;  John  J.  Barrineau,  16; 
Alexander  Bradshaw,  24;  John  Brown,  30;  Henry  Brow¬ 
der,  21;  Henry  Buckels,  24;  Lydford  Buckels,  21;  James 
H.  Burns,  18;  Asbury  B.  Carter,  22;  John  B.  Carter, 
21;  George  W.  Carter,  42;  James  Collier,  30;  William 
G.  Cox,  23;  John  T.  Cox,  22;  David  W.  Cribb,  22; 
Flavius  E.  Cooper,  21;  Tristam  Faddy,  28;  John  T.  Faddy, 
21;  William  S.  Faddy,  21;  Andrew  J.  Eaddy,  22;  Ben¬ 
jamin  F.  Ferrell,  24;  Andrew  P.  Flagler,  44;  Josiah  J. 
Gaskins,  24;  Elias  B.  Gaskins,  30;  Charles  A.  Gaskins, 
22;  Charlton  H.  Gordon,  22;  William  L.  Graham,  23; 
Julius  J.  Hanna,  24;  George  W.  Hanna,  21;  Robert 
Hanna,  19;  James  F.  Hanna,  23;  John  Haselden,  21; 
James  Hudson,  19;  Joseph  A.  James,  32;  Edward  H. 
Johnson,  22;  Harvey  H.  Kinder,  20;  Francis  H.  Lene- 
rieux,  23;  William  W.  Matthews,  20;  Robert  F.  Maurice, 
31;  James  McClary,  37;  John  J.  Matthews,  18;  Henry 
A.  Poston,  25;  A.  Winfield  Scott,  41;  George  C.  Scott, 
38;  Palvey  T.  Stone,  24;  James  B.  Stone,  17;  Sidney  B. 
Thompson,  24;  John  Thompson,  25;  Nathaniel  M.  White- 
head,  38;  Orlando  R.  Avant,  22;  Abner  H.  Brown,  33; 
David  L.  Brown,  31;  Jacob  Whitehead,  17;  William  J. 
Christmas,  30;  Gabriel  G.  Gist,  32;  William  J.  Tilton, 
18;  James  W.  Scott,  44;  George  W.  Carter,  47 ;  Theodore 
G.  June,  19;  Adam  H.  June,  17 ;  W.  Augustus  Perkins,  22. 

The  Williamsburg  Light  Dragoons  was  a  militia  organi¬ 
zation  commanded  by  Captain  J.  C.  Wilson.  When 
Governor  Pickens  called  for  volunteers  to  serve  the  State 
for  twelve  months,  this  troop  of  cavalry  volunteered 
and  was  sent  to  Georgetown,  where  it  became  a  part  of 
the  Harlee  Legion.  Four  troops  of  cavalry  were  formed 
into  a  squadron,  one  of  which  was  this  Williamsburg 
troop  and  Captain  J.  C.  Wilson  was  elected  major.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Captain  John  Watson.  At  the  expira¬ 
tion  of  the  twelve  months,  Major  Wilson  was  defeated 
for  re-election  as  commanding  officer  of  this  squadron  by 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


355 


Major  W.  P.  Emanuel.  Whereupon,  Major  Wilson 
showed  his  manhood  by  enlisting  in  the  Williamsburg 
troop  as  a  private,  and  serving  therein  in  such  capacity 
until  he  was  mortally  wounded  at  Cold  Harbor,  and  died 
in  the  Jackson  hospital  at  Richmond  several  weeks  later. 

In  this  troop  from  Williamsburg  were  at  least  three 
men  who  had  served  as  captains  in  the  militia  prior  to 
the  Confederate  War.  They  were:  Captain  J.  A.  Sal¬ 
ters,  Captain  J.  C.  Wilson,  and  Captain  D.  E.  Gordon. 
This  troop  finally  became  a  part  of  the  Fourth  Cavalry. 
This  regiment  was  composed  largely  of  the  wealthier 
young  men  of  the  State.  When  they  arrived  in  Richmond 
for  participation  along  the  battle  line,  nearly  every  indivi¬ 
dual  soldier  in  the  regiment  had  a  negro  servant  attending 
him.  The  Confederate  Government  realized  that  it  was 
sufficiently  difficult  to  feed  the  soldiers  without  their 
negroes,  so  that  these  young  men  found  it  necessary  to 
dispense  with  their  servants  and  care  for  themselves. 
The  regiment  arrived  in  Virginia  on  Monday  and  on 
Friday  it  met  the  enemy  at  Haws  Shop,  where  a  number 
of  men  were  killed,  and  on  Monday,  Tuesday,  and  Wed¬ 
nesday,  it  participated  in  the  battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  one 
of  the  bloodiest  battles  of  the  War,  and  on  Saturday,  it 
met  the  enemy  at  Trevillian  Station,  where  a  number 
were  killed,  wounded,  or  captured.  These  were  captured 
at  Trevillian :  Captain  D.  E.  Gordon,  S.  R.  Mouzon, 
James  A.  McCrea,  B.  P.  Barron,  John  Coker,  Robert 
Cade,  and  James  Knox. 

The  story  is  told  that  Blackwell  McClary,  a  private  in 
this  troop  of  cavalry,  was  very  much  afraid  of  “haunts,” 
that  his  nervousness  at  night  when  in  the  vicinity  of 
graveyards  was  a  standing  joke  in  the  troop.  The  first 
time  this  regiment  was  shelled  was  at  Cold  Harbor,  and 
this  was  as  severe  shelling  as  occurred  during  the  war. 
This  began  unexpectedly  and  practically  all  of  the  men 
of  Butler’s  Cavalry  and  their  horses  immediately  under- 


356 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


took  to  move  out  of  that  shell  fire,  notwithstanding  General 
Butler’s  orders,  “Steady,  men,  steady.”  When  the  shell¬ 
ing  had  ceased  and  General  Butler  looked  around  him 
for  his  command,  he  saw  about  thirty  troopers.  All  the 
others  had  departed.  One  of  this  thirty  was  Blackwell 
McClary.  When  the  Williamsburg  Light  Dragoons  reas¬ 
sembled,  Blackwell  McClary  appeared  before  the  men 
and  told  them  in  most  emphatic  language  just  what  his 
opinion  was  of  men  who  were  afraid  of  exploding  shells. 
Nobody  ever  attempted  to  taunt  Mr.  McClary  about 
being  afraid  after  this  day. 

In  these  three  battles,  occurring  within  ten  days,  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Light  Dragoons  had  a  large  number  of  men 
who  were  seriously  wounded.  They  were  all  taken  to  the 
Jackson  Hospital  in  Richmond,  where  many  of  them  died. 
When  their  negro  body  servants  had  been  left  in  Rich¬ 
mond,  trooper  Samuel  R.  Mouzon  had  succeeded  in  plac¬ 
ing  his  negro,  Peter,  who  was  about  sixty  years  old  and 
one  of  the  best  servants  in  the  countrv,  in  the  Jackson 
Hospital  in  Richmond.  When  these  wounded  troopers 
from  the  Williamsburg  organization  found  Peter  there, 
they  must  have  breathed  a  prayer  of  thanksgiving. 
Peter’s  master’s  brother,  John  P.  Mouzon,  lost  a  leg  and 
was  there.  So  was  Major  J.  C.  Wilson,  who  afterwards 
died,  E.  P.  Montgomery,  William  Montgomery,  E.  R. 
Martin,  and  T.  S.  Nelson,  and  many  others  whom  Peter 
had  known  and  served  in  Williamsburg.  Probably  no 
other  wounded  men  in  the  history  of  the  world  received 
more  faithful  service  than  did  these  men  whom  Peter 
knew  and  loved.  God  may  have  made  men  who  served 
others  more  faithfully  and  beautifully  than  did  these  negro 
battle  attendants  their  masters,  but  doubtless  He  never 
did.  Ten  of  these  old  negro  body  servants  of  Williamsburg 
were  living  in  1923  and  receiving  pensions  from  the  State 
of  South  Carolina :  William  Bragdon,  Caesar  Chandler, 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


357 


Richard  Daggett,  Charles  Lee,  Peter  McCrea,  George 
McCutchen,  George  Miller,  Derry  Montgomery,  Joe  Shaw, 
and  Ned  Washington. 

The  Williamsburg  Light  Dragoons,  Captain  John  Wat¬ 
son,  joined  in  July,  1861,  the  Pee  Dee  Legion,  Colonel  R. 
F.  Graham.  The  Lieutenants  were  then  G.  P.  Nelson, 
S.  J.  Snowden,  and  W.  K.  Lane.  At  the  reorganization 
of  the  troop  in  October,  G.  P.  Nelson  was  elected  captain. 
He  commanded  the  troop  for  nearly  a  year  when  he  re¬ 
signed  and  S.  J.  Snowden  became  the  War  Captain  of 
this  distinguished  troop.  It  was  officially  known  as 
Troop  I,  Fourth  South  Carolina  Cavalry,  Colonel  B.  H. 
Rutledge.  Here  is  its  muster  roll:  S.  J.  Snowden; 
W.  W.  Fluitt,  first  lieutenant;  T.  S.  Nelson,  second  lieu¬ 
tenant;  D.  E.  Gordon,  third  lieutenant;  R.  M.  Wilson, 
first  sergeant;  J.  H.  Fluitt,  R.  S.  Tisdale,  S.  L.  Lifrage, 
J.  H.  McGavy,  sergeants;  J.  D.  Thomas,  W.  J.  Hanna, 
S.  W.  Crapps,  T.  B.  Fleming,  corporals. 

Privates :  J.  P.  Adams,  W.  I.  Adams,  J.  A.  Arnett, 
B.  L.  Barrineau,  J.  E.  Barrineau,  W.  J.  Barrineau,  John 
Bradham,  J.  R.  Bryan,  S.  S.  Blakely,  E.  P.  Blakely,  T.  G. 
Britton,  F.  Brisket,  R.  A.  Buckels,  J.  M.  Bell,  T.  J. 
Coleman,  P.  Crapper,  R.  T.  Cade,  Samuel  Cooper,  J.  M. 
Coker,  J.  S.  Coker,  James  Colin,  P.  F.  Duke,  J.  P. 
Davis,  J.  T.  Davis,  J.  V.  Epps,  J.  W.  Edwards,  W.  E. 
Fleming,  J.  B.  Fleming,  J.  M.  Fulton,  D.  B.  Fulton, 
J.  W.  Gordon,  J.  J.  Flowers,  R.  K.  Gamble,  W.  J. 
Gamble,  W.  S.  Grayson,  P.  Holliday,  T.  J.  Hughes,  J.  E. 
Hanna,  J.  Harper,  E.  C.  Keels,  W.  J.  Knox,  J.  S.  Lifrage, 
Joe  Lewis,  J.  E.  McCullough,  W.  B.  Lester,  B.  J.  Lam¬ 
bert,  R.  B.  McClary,  J.  J.  Marshall,  J.  C.  McClary,  S.  J. 
McClary,  J.  H.  McClary,  J.  M.  McClary,  James  McCrea, 
A.  Mitchum,  T.  M.  McCrea,  R.  A.  Murphy,  J.  P.  Mouzon, 
L.  W.  Mouzon,  S.  R.  Mouzon,  A.  J.  McCrea,  T.  M.  Mc¬ 
Cutchen,  W.  R.  Moyd,  W.  J.  Morris,  H.  M.  Morris,  R.  F. 
McCottry,  J.  H.  Norton,  S.  M.  Plowden,  R.  J.  Patterson, 


358 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


J.  H.  Parham,  J.  M.  Porter,  P.  Reagin,  T.  E.  Reagin,  J. 
A.  Salters,  R.  H.  Shaw,  W.  F.  Small,  H.  Singletary, 
W.  D.  Singletary,  S.  M.  Singletary,  T.  J.  Spooner,  J.  F. 
Spooner,  S.  J.  Thorp,  C.  C.  Thomas,  J.  B.  Thompson,  W.  J. 
Thompson,  J.  G.  Thomas,  J.  L.  Turner,  W.  D.  Perry,  J.  G. 
Tisdale,  S.  Thomas,  W.  J.  Walters,  O.  H.  Whitefield,  F. 
W.  Wilson,  J.  C.  Wilson,  C.  C.  Wilkes,  J.  Wilder. 

Dr.  S.  D.  M.  Byrd  organized  a  company  during  the 
summer  of  1861,  and  soon  thereafter  became  Major  of 
Byrd’s  Battalion  formed  at  McClellanville.  When  Major 
Byrd  took  command  of  the  Battalion,  Lieutenant  C.  S. 
Land  was  promoted  captain  of  the  company.  Later  this 
company  became  Company  I,  Twenty-Sixth  South  Caro¬ 
lina  Infantry.  Here  is  a  roll  of  Captain  Land’s  Com¬ 
pany:  C.  S.  Land,  captain,  30;  J.  C.  Graham,  first  lieu¬ 
tenant,  28;  John  A.  Godwin,  second  lieutenant,  26;  R.  E. 
Cade,  third  lieutenant,  45. 

Non-commissioned  officers  and  privates :  J.  M.  Thomas, 
35;  John  L.  Scott,  30;  Thomas  S.  Stuart,  35;  Thomas 

L.  McClam,  18;  Pleasant  Matthews,  24;  Robert  F.  Tilton, 
18;  W.  L.  Cameron,  38;  John  W.  Cameron,  21;  George  Y. 
Cameron,  18;  Jacob  D.  Casselman,  39;  Frank  Collins,  25; 
Henry  Collins,  17 ;  John  W.  Collins,  19 ;  Henry  Carra- 
way,  30;  S.  J.  Coker,  28;  J.  J.  Coker,  20;  James  W.  Cock- 
field,  17;  Josiah  Cockfield,  37;  William  P.  Cook,  20; 
Benjamin  B.  Dennis,  38;  Benjamin  R.  Evans,  35;  Joseph 
E.  Evans,  18;  S.  W.  Evans,  25;  J.  P.  Floyd,  18;  Joseph 

M.  Godwin,  24;  Henry  E.  Godwin,  18;  John  J.  Godwin, 
25;  Samuel  C.  Godwin,  20;  Thomas  G.  Gray,  23;  Jeffer¬ 
son  Gray,  17;  Thomas  Gray,  20;  B.  F.  Gray,  16;  John 
Graham,  17 ;  Samuel  J.  Graham,  22 ;  Hugh  L.  F.  Graham, 
25 ;  Andrew  J.  Gaskin,  30 ;  William  G.  Hicks,  50 ;  George 
W.  Hicks,  20 ;  W.  J.  Hicks,  16 ;  William  J.  Lee,  18 ;  Isaac 
E.  Lee,  20;  Timothy  Lee,  35;  Ira  Lee,  20;  Simon  Lee,  38; 
John  E.  Lynch,  18;  George  W.  Lynch,  20;  William  E. 
Lynch,  21;  J.  Lazarus,  19;  Benjamin  Matthews,  25; 


MAJ.  C.  S.  LAND,  C.  S.  A 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


359 


Madison  Matthews,  25;  James  A.  Matthews,  20; 
Dunnin  Matthews,  17 ;  Gordon  Matthews,  36 ;  Jef¬ 
ferson  Matthews,  16;  Ralston  Matthews,  18;  James 
S.  Matthews,  17;  D.  K.  Mouzon,  30;  Jacob  Miles, 
30;  Robert  Miles,  17;  Leonard  Miles,  17;  W.  J. 
Miles,  40;  J.  W.  Miles,  17;  Joseph  Miles,  16;  Thomas 
Miles,  32;  Benjamin  Miles,  27;  Wright  Miles,  32;  John 
J.  McGee,  25 ;  Gadsden  G.  McGee,  27 ;  Daniel  S.  Mc¬ 
Kenzie,  16;  William  H.  McKnight,  19;  John  H.  Mc- 
Knight,  17 ;  Thomas  M.  McKnight,  22 ;  James  M.  Mc- 
Callister,  40;  James  E.  McCallister;  James  C.  Nettles, 
22 ;  William  W.  Odom  37 ;  William  H.  Parker,  16 ;  James 
R.  Parker,  30;  Jesse  Parker,  18;  Evander  Pickett;  John 
M.  Powell;  E.  H.  Sauls,  19;  Evander  G.  Sauls,  15;  John 
A.  Smith,  25;  Francis  H.  Smith,  28;  Elias  Speights,  25; 
Samuel  A.  Scott,  35;  Henry  B.  Thomas,  34;  William  G. 
Williamson,  17 ;  Henry  J.  Williamson,  17;  John  Yar¬ 
borough,  36;  William  Young,  25. 

Captain  Land  was  promoted  Major  on  December  9, 
1864,  by  President  Jefferson  Davis  “for  distinguished 
valor  and  skill.”  Major  Land  commanded  the  picket  line 
of  Wallace’s  Brigade  and  on  January  13,  1865,  received 
high  praise  from  the  inspector  general.  In  a  letter  to 
General  Bushrod  Johnson,  referring  to  this  report,  Gen¬ 
eral  Robert  E.  Lee  wrote  on  January  18,  1863:  “I  note 
with  pleasure  the  commendation  bestowed  upon  Major 
Land,  26th  South  Carolina  Regiment,  permanent  com¬ 
mander  of  the  picket  line  of  the  Brigade,  who  appears  to 
be  an  efficient  and  capable  officer.” 

There  were  a  great  many  men  from  Williamsburg 
District  who  served  in  the  Confederate  Army  in  organi¬ 
zations  recruited  principally  from  other  districts,  and 
their  names  may  not  have  appeared  so  far  in  the  rolls 
of  Williamsburg’s  Confederate  Soldiers. 

In  1861,  Dr.  Robert  Gourdin  organized  a  company  from 
the  Lenud’s  Ferry  section.  This  company  went  to  White’s 


360 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Bridge  in  Georgetown  and  there  volunteered  for  service 
in  the  Confederate  Army.  Dr.  Gourdin  was  found  physi¬ 
cally  unfit  for  military  service — too  old — and  his  com¬ 
pany  immediately  broke  up,  the  men  uniting  with  other 
organizations.  Many  of  those  men  joined  Company  A, 
of  the  Tenth  Regiment,  Captain  Plowden  C.  J.  Weston 
commanding.  Among  these  were:  N.  B.  Clarkson,  James 
Sloan,  E.  Blakely,  S.  G.  McClary,  J.  L.  Blakely,  W.  J. 
Clarkson,  Dr.  I.  W.  Graham,  W.  G.  Gamble,  J.  P.  Gamble, 
J.  E.  Holmes,  J.  S.  June,  F.  L.  McCants,  D.  F.  Micliau,  J. 
J.  Morris,  W.  C.  Ogburn,  L.  K.  Pipkin,  J.  N.  Row,  J.  C. 
Small,  I.  D.  Singletary,  W.  H.  West,  John  Wilson,  and 
F.  W.  Wilson. 

In  the  Fourth  Cavalrv:  Ebenezer  Row,  John  W.  Mar- 
shall,  18;  S.  P.  Morris,  36;  James  W.  Rodgers,  49;  David 
Harlee,  37;  Riley  Baxley,  48;  William  Baxley,  38;  Jacob 
Benson,  30;  James  W.  Newton,  40;  James  Epps,  18;  L. 
D.  Robinson,  42;  N.  P.  Smith,  42;  James  Smith,  40;  Ely 
Smith,  39;  J.  G.  Smith,  37;  R.  Smith,  36;  W.  B.  Smith, 
45;  Everett  Smith,  50;  Wesley  Smith,  39;  John  Smith, 
60 ;  S.  Smith,  37 ;  A.  E.  Stephenson,  50 ;  William  Stone, 
52;  Evander  Stocks,  48;  John  Lequeu,  Robert  Glass, 
Noah  Michan,  Fletcher  Michau,  Y.  E.  Lifarge,  William 
Henderson,  and  S.  B.  W.  Courtney. 

There  were  three  cadets  from  Williamsburg  at  the 
Citadel  in  1861.  They  volunteered  as  a  part  of  Company 
F,  Sixth  Cavalry :  Anthony  W.  Dozier,  first  lieutenant ; 
Edward  C.  Dozier,  corporal;  and  S.  H.  Owens,  private. 
In  the  Seventh  Cavalry  from  Williamsburg  were :  S.  B. 
Green,  D.  Z.  Martin,  W.  R.  Godwin,  John  Ferdon,  W. 
F.  Thompson,  J.  W.  Britton,  W.  H.  Britton,  W.  T.  Thomp¬ 
son,  H.  L.  Crawford,  Lieutenant  W.  D.  Fitch,  John  Green, 
Richard  Green,  Thompson  Green,  J.  D.  Gordon,  S.  B.  Gor¬ 
don,  Ely  Rodgers,  J.  F.  Rodgers,  L.  P.  McCullough,  J. 
F.  Brockinton,  James  Hanna,  and  Sam  Hanna. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


361 


These  were  in  the  Palmetto  Battalion  of  Light  Artil¬ 
lery :  James  A.  Coward  and  Rix  A.  Coward;  these  in 
Gregg’s  Battery,  Jacob  Atkinson,  and  John  J.  Altman. 
These  served  in  Inglis’  Light  Artillery :  Lieutenant 
Texas  B.  Logan,  James  M.  Nelson,  E.  S.  Jones,  G.  Purvis 
Nelson,  George  O.  Wheeler,  John  Shaw  Tisdale,  James 
J.  Martin,  Francis  M.  Britton,  William  B.  Epps,  James 
N.  Fluitt,  Richard  M.  Fulmore,  Arthur  Hammett,  Frank 
M.  Jones,  James  M.  Kirton,  S.  W.  Kirton,  Samuel  G. 
McClary,  W.  S.  Camlin,  T.  J.  Strong,  William  J.  Thorn¬ 
hill,  James  E.  Timmons,  J.  Y.  Tisdale,  Robert  S.  Tisdale, 
and  Samuel  Tisdale,  and  James  Sloan;  these  in  Gaillard’s 
Light  Artillery:  Lieutenant  W.  R.  Cooper,  F.  W.  McCot- 
t.ry,  J.  H.  Porter,  J.  H.  Saunders,  John  W.  Witherspoon, 
D.  Barr,  John  Cooper,  Robert  Cooper,  W.  A.  Cooper, 
William  D.  Fulton,  and  J.  H.  Kinder. 

Captain  Alexander  Colclough’s  Company,  D,  of  Colonel 
Blanding’s  Regiment,  had  a  number  of  men  of  Williams¬ 
burg:  Lieutenant  W.  Elliott  Keels,  R.  J.  Bradham,  W.  I. 
Connell,  T.  J.  Etheridge,  J.  J.  Ellis,  J.  J.  Gamble,  A.  M. 
Gamble,  W.  J.  Mouzon,  J.  S.  Mitchum,  T.  G.  Mitchum, 
H.  J.  Ragin,  W.  J.  Ward,  E.  S.  Arms,  Robert  Chandler, 
J.  F.  Chandler,  A.  W.  Flagler,  R.  M.  Footman,  J.  G. 
Green,  T.  M.  Keels,  G.  T.  Rollins,  B.  F.  Scott,  Lieutenant 
J.  E.  Scott,  Lieutenant  E.  B.  Scott,  J.  P.  Thames,  A.  J. 
McCrea,  D.  M.  Tisdale,  J.  M.  McCullough,  T.  S.  Chandler, 
W.  S.  Grayson,  J.  M.  Grayson,  Daniel  Keels,  N.  McKenzie, 
W.  M.  McKnight,  G.  W.  Morris,  S.  W.  Mims. 

Captain  W.  S.  Brand  was  from  Clarendon  District, 
but  about  half  of  his  Company,  K,  Sixth  Regiment,  were 
men  of  Williamsburg :  Among  these  were :  Lieutenant 
R.  A.  Flagler,  Lieutenant  E.  B.  Scott,  Lieutenant  Z.  R. 
Full  more,  W.  J.  Ferrell,  E.  M.  Graham,  B.  F.  Scott,  W. 
D.  McFadden,  J.  P.  Epps,  W.  W.  Cunningham,  J.  H. 
Fullmore,  S.  W.  Cockfield,  T.  S.  Chandler,  J.  F.  Chandler, 
B.  S.  Croft,  A.  W.  Flagler,  S.  M.  Flagler,  R.  M.  Footman, 


362 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


G,  J.  Graham,  A.  M.  Gamble,  G.  S.  B.  Huggins,  T.  M. 
Keels,  G.  G.  McElveen,  J.  A.  McCrea,  J.  S.  McCullough, 
W.  McCullough,  J.  C.  MeCutchen,  T.  G.  Mitchum,  W. 
J.  Matthews,  J.  Parker,  S.  J.  Taylor,  A.  W.  Williams. 

In  Captain  D.  W.  Harrington’s,  these :  William  W. 
Cunningham,  J.  M.  Gardner,  John  A.  Graham,  William 
W.  Hair,  M.  E.  Hodge,  LeGrand  N.  Joy,  Francis  E.  Joy,  J. 
Harvey  Wilson,  L.  P.  McCullough,  J.  S.  McCullough,  J. 
A.  McCrea,  and  N.  W.  Baggett. 

These  officers  and  men  from  Williamsburg :  Captain 
William  J.  Tavlor,  Tenth  Infantry;  William  J.  Matthews, 
First  Infantry;  R.  D.  Rollins,  Seventh  Infantry;  Frank 
Cox,  Eight  Infantry;  Captain  Peter  C.  Dozier,  Chaplin 
J.  E.  Dunlap,  of  the  Twenty-First  Regimental  Staff; 
Surgeon  T.  S.  Hemingway,  Staff,  Seventh  Cavalry ; 
Thomas  Burrows,  Ben  Ard,  and  E.  LI.  Ard,  Twenty-First 
Infantry;  Jesse  B.  Ellis,  Allen  Miles,  and  John  C.  Scurry, 
Twenty-First  Infantry;  Nabor  D.  Lesesne,  Charles  Jones, 
George  Weir,  Samuel  A.  Jones,  Robert  A.  Flagler,  in 
Hampton’s  Legion;  R.  M.  Footman,  J.  R.  Hair,  J.  M. 
Gardner,  J.  G.  Green,  William  Winkles,  L.  D.  Winkles,  in 
the  Palmetto  Sharpshooters. 

These  men  of  Williamsburg  served  in  organizations  as 
follows:  R.  E.  Rodgers,  Seventh  Battalion;  Lieutenant 
A.  M.  Snider,  Hampton’s  Legion;  Edwin  Harper,  Troop 

H,  Seventh  North  Carolina  Cavalry;  John  Todd,  Company 

I,  Fifty-First  North  Carolina  Infantry;  F.  Thompson, 
Company  F,  Nineteenth  Arkansas  Infantry;  R.  W.  Cow 
ard,  Company  E,  Eighth  Infantry;  G.  W.  Ard  and  T.  S. 
Ard,  Company  C,  Second  Arkansas  Infantry;  John  A. 
Kelly,  Company  B,  Second  Infantry;  Lieutenant  Thomas 
M.  Gilland,  Third  Infantry;  Lieutenant  William  Epps, 
Fourth  Cavalry;  J.  P.  Shaw,  Company  B,  Fourth  In¬ 
fantry  ;  D.  B.  Young,  Company  E,  Reserves ;  E.  J.  Player, 
Company  K,  Twenty-Third  Infantry;  E.  J.  Jove,  Com¬ 
pany  K,  Twenty-Third  Infantry;  P.  W.  Morris,  Company 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


363 


C,  Ninth  Infantry;  J.  E.  Baker,  Company  A,  First  Artil¬ 
lery;  G.  W.  Burgess,  J.  P.  Burgess,  R.  W.  Burgess,  Com¬ 
pany  F,  Twenty-Sixth  Regiment;  J.  A.  Burgess  and  J. 
C.  Burgess,  Company  C,  Ninth  Regiment;  S.  H.  Burgess 
and  D.  I.  Burgess,  Company  C,  Twenty-Fifth  Infantry; 
J.  W.  Braxton,  Company  E,  Seventh  Infantry;  G.  T.  Rol¬ 
lins,  Company  A,  Ninth  Regiment;  F.  M.  Player,  Com¬ 
pany  E,  First  Regiment;  H.  J.  Lamb,  Company  E,  Tenth 
Infantry;  First  Lieutenant  J.  G.  Iv.  Gourdin,  Twenty- 
Second  Carolina  Infantry;  Louis  Jacobs,  Hampton’s 
Legion;  M.  J.  Hirsch,  Commissary  Sergeant,  Tenth  Regi¬ 
ment,  South  Carolina  Infantry;  Daniel  Convers  Nesmith, 
Fourth  Georgia  Infantry. 

On  December  31,  1861,  there  were  more  men  from  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  in  the  military  service  than  there  were  voters 
in  the  district. 

After  the  thrills  that  came  with  Secession  on  Decem¬ 
ber  20,  1860,  and  the  departure  of  the  Wee  Nee  Volunteers 
under  Captain  John  G.  Pressley  on  January  4,  1861, 
there  was  comparative  quiet  in  Williamsburg  for  about 
three  months.  The  people  seemed  greatly  relieved  that 
South  Carolina  had  withdrawn  from  the  Union  and  be¬ 
lieved  that  things  would  come  out  “all  right.”  Williams¬ 
burg  had  “much  goods”  laid  up  for  many  years.  It  felt 
free.  President  Buchanan  and  the  cabinet  in  Washington 
could  worry,  but  Williamsburg  would  wait.  Williams- 
burg  listened  to  sermons  preached  in  the  old  church  at 
Kingstree  by  Reverend  E.  O.  Frierson;  at  Indiantown  by 
Reverend  J.  R.  Gilland;  in  the  Methodist  Church  at 
Kingstree  by  Reverend  J.  M.  Little;  and  in  the  Black 
River  Churches  by  the  Reverend  J.  C.  Stoll.  These 
“fathers  in  Israel”  told  Williamsburg  that  the  Lord  was 
with  the  South  and  would  see  that  right  triumphed. 
Sometimes,  Mr.  Gilland  played  the  fiddle  for  his  younger 
congregation  to  dance. 


364 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


The  little  “swamp  rabbit”  mail  and  passenger  trains 
on  the  Northeastern  Railway  passed  Kingstree  morning 
and  evening  as  theretofore.  The  coming  of  these  trains 
were  the  events  of  the  day.  Everybody  went  to  the  sta¬ 
tion  to  meet  them,  hear  local  gossip,  and  get  the  “Mer¬ 
cury”  or  the  “Courier.”  The  Kingstree  Star  had  sus¬ 
pended  publication  when  the  Wee  Nee  Volunteers  left,  for 
in  that  company  was  all  its  force,  editor,  printer,  and 
devil.  The  Courier,  January  8,  1861,  said  “Our  esteemed 
contemporary,  the  Kingstree  Star,  is  under  temporary  sus¬ 
pension — occupation  by  Mars — editor,  foreman,  and  com¬ 
positors  are  all  in  arms  and  are  now  near  this  City.” 

The  booming  of  the  big  guns  at  Fort  Sumter  April  12, 
1861,  somewhat  disturbed  Williamsburg.  But  that  was  a 
bloodless  battle,  and  its  results  were  comforting.  All  the 
lighting  might  be  just  like  that  at  Fort  Sumter.  And  those 
days  were  just  right  for  holding  patriotic  celebrations. 
Orators  had  eager  auditors  for  the  asking  and  abundant 
subjects  for  expression.  Williamsburg  dearly  loved,  and 
yet  loves,  fiery  orations. 

The  Fourth  of  July  celebrations  that  year  exceeded  in 
grandeur  anything  of  the  kind  that  had  ever  been  held 
in  Williamsburg.  The  pomp  and  circumstance  and  cere¬ 
mony  of  war  entered  them.  Stalwart  men  in  uniform, 
mounted  on  spirited  chargers,  flashed  shining  sabers  in  the 
sunlight.  Every  woman  had  her  hero.  War  looses  so 
many  feelings  that  one  loves! 

The  celebration  on  the  Santee  on  that  Fourth  of  July 
was  just  like  the  others  held  at  Kingstree  and  Black 
Mingo.  There  was  a  squadron  of  cavalry  drilling  and 
parading  during  the  day,  a  dinner  in  the  early  evening, 
and  a  grand  ball  that  night.  Here  were  some  of  the 
toasts :  1.  The  Day  Sacred  to  the  Cause  of  Constitutional 
Liberty ;  2.  The  Father  of  His  Country ;  3.  The  Confede¬ 
rate  States  of  America,  True  to  the  Spirit  of  ’76 ;  4.  The 
President  of  the  Confederate  States  of  America, — a  states- 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


365 


man  and  civilian  wise  in  counsel  and  successful  in  arms; 
5.  Tlie  Army — free  men  who  have  gone  to  battle  for  their 
rights  and  the  protection  and  sanctity  of  their  homes;  6. 
The  State  of  South  Carolina,  patriotic  and  brave,  the 
first  to  throw  off  the  yoke  of  a  corrupt  and  fanatical 
government;  7.  The  Late  United  States — its  government 
when  administered  in  its  integrity  challenged  our  admira¬ 
tion  and  respect  and  had  our  most  devoted  loyalty  and 
support :  we  mourn  over  its  death  by  Northern  fanaticism 
and  misrule;  8.  King  Cotton — its  Empire  is  the  World; 
9.  The  Institution  of  Slavery, — just,  humane,  wise,  and 
Christian;  one  of  Earth’s  greatest  blessings  to  the  be¬ 
nighted  African  and  a  cause  of  the  prosperity  and  welfare 
of  the  South;  10.  Woman — her  sanctuary  the  home, — her 
mission,  love,  peace,  and  happiness.  Many  other  toasts 
were  given,  all  impressive  of  the  fact  that  the  people 
felt  they  were  now  really  free  and  were  celebrating  the 
anniversary  of  the  Fourth  of  July,  1776.  At  the  grand 
ball  that  night,  Williamsburg  “had  gathered  there  her 
beauty  and  her  chivalry,  and  all  went  merry  as  a  mar¬ 
riage  bell.” 

The  morning  came  and  with  it  wild  rumors  of  war. 
But  these  were  nothing.  Wild  tongues  had  so  often 
been  loosed  that  no  one  seriously  regarded  them.  Even 
the  papers  had  begun  to  doubt  their  own  startling  stories 
printed  day  after  day.  The  Richmond  correspondent 
of  the  Courier,  July  11,  1861,  wrote:  “There  is  an  old 
Mokish  law  that  when  a  man  circulates  a  false  report, 
his  forehead  shall  be  branded  with  a  hot  iron.  With 
such  retributive  justice  exercised  just  now,  the  counte¬ 
nance  of  every  other  individual  in  the  community  would 
be  disfigured  beyond  redemption.  Not  that  there  is  any 
intentional  perversion  of  fact  or  a  desire  to  mislead  the 
public  mind,  but  rather  a  diseased  condition  of  the  cere¬ 
bellum  which  magnifies  uncertainties  a  thousand  times 
beyond  their  proper  proportions.  We  have  proofs  of  this 


366 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


daily.  Let  the  mere  skeleton  of  a  rumor  arrive  in  town, 
no  matter  from  what  source,  and  incidentally  men,  women, 
and  children  put  on  the  seven-leagued  boots  of  imagination 
and  a  historical  monstrosity  is  created  in  half  an  hour 
worthy  of  an  Arabian  story  teller.  Before  the  day  has 
expired,  it  will  have  become  as  contagious  as  the  measles. 
By  night,  the  telegraph  wires  will  be  flashing  the  epidemic 
to  every  hamlet  in  the  South.” 

Out  of  all  these  wild  rumors  and  incident  doubting 
there  came  to  Williamsburg  on  the  afternoon  of  July  22, 
1861,  the  Mercury  and  the  Courier  from  Charleston,  with 
headlines  like  this :  “Terrible  Battle.  Southerners 
Victorious.  Great  Slaughter  on  Both  Sides.  Enemy  in 
Full  Flight  and  Closely  Pursued.  Battle  Commenced 
four  o’clock  on  the  Morning  of  July  21,  and  lasted  until 
seven  o’clock  in  the  evening.” 

A  great  shout  went  up  at  the  Kingstree  Northeastern 
Railway  station  that  evening.  In  a  moment,  after  the 
tumult  of  triumph  ceased,  some  one  saw  following  “South¬ 
erners  Victorious”  the  words  “Great  Slaughter.”  And 
Williamsburg  was  there !  Some  one  said,  “Don’t  you 
know  that  Nabor  Lesesne,  and  Charlie  Jones,  and  George 
Weir,  and  Bob  Flagler,  and  others  from  here  were  in 
Hampton’s  Legion,  and  Hampton’s  Legion  was  in  the 
thickest  of  the  fight?” 

Nabor  Lesesne  had  married  Marian  Ervin  in  1860. 
Both  of  them  were  kin  to  half  of  the  people  of  Williams¬ 
burg.  They  had  Huguenot  and  Scotch-Irish  blood  in 
their  veins,  the  best  of  Williamsburg.  All  Williamsburg 
knew  and  loved  them  both. 

Later,  a  message  came  “Nabor  Lesesne  is  wounded.” 
Then  a  letter  from  him  to  his  Marion,  telling  her  he  was 
comfortable  in  the  hospital  at  Culpepper,  and  that  she 
must  conserve  all  her  strength  for  the  coming  of  a  little 
life  dearer  to  each  of  them  than  their  very  own.  A  few 
days  later,  a  telegram  read,  “Nabor  Lesesne  is  dead.” 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


367 


Wiliamsburg  had  made  its  first  sacrifice  on  the  altar 
of  the  Confederacy 

Heaven  and  Hell  hovered  about  Nabor  Lesesne  as  he 

died  in  that  Culpepper  hospital.  He  heard  the  shouts  of 

victory  that  went  up  on  the  field  at  First  Manassas  and 

saw  Marian  singing  saddened  lullabies  to  their  first  born 

vet  to  be.  The  best  and  the  worst  of  the  world  came  to  him 
</ 

in  his  dying  moments.  He  passed  unafraid. 

All  Williamsburg  loved  Marian  Lesesne  and  the  little 
Nabor  Lesesne  who  came.  Fifty  years  later  this  Nabor 
Lesesne  was  the  most  loved  and  respected  man  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  County.  He  himself  merited,  as  well  as  in¬ 
herited,  the  veneration  Williamsburg  had  for  him. 

After  the  battle  of  First  Manassas,  or  Bull  Run,  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  realized  that  war  had  begun,  and  nearly  every 
possible  man  in  the  district  volunteered  for  military 
service.  Many  companies  were  immediately  formed  and 
were  joined  to  South  Carolina  Vollunteer  regiments. 

Morale  makes  the  soldier.  There  may  be  a  hundred 
elements  making  morale,  but  certain  fundamentals  are 
essential.  A  soldier  must  be  reasonably  well  fed,  clothed, 
and  equipped  for  fighting.  He  must  be  sustained  by  an 
unfaltering  faith  that  his  family  at  home  has  a  fairly 
comfortable  existence.  When  the  “Conscript  Fathers” 
of  Williamsburg  joined  in  decreeing  the  War  between 
the  Sections  and  called  on  the  younger  men  of  the  district 
to  offer  themselves  for  service  along  the  battle  line,  the 
young  men  volunteered.  Many  of  these  volunteers  left 
wives  and  young  children  without  capacity  to  support 
themselves.  The  old  men  of  Williamsburg  promised  and 
fulfilled  their  sacred  trust  in  supporting  and  sustaining 
these  dependents  of  volunteer  soldiers. 

August  5,  1861,  at  the  very  beginning  of  the  war,  in 
accordance  with  previous  notice,  a  convention  of  the 
citizens  of  Williamsburg  was  held  in  the  Court  House. 
Samuel  E.  Graham  was  called  to  the  chair  and  Captain 


368 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


J.  C.  Wilson  was  elected  secretary.  The  chairman  stated 

e/ 

that  the  object  of  the  meeting  was  for  the  discussion  of 
ways  and  means  and  for  the  adoption  of  measures  neces¬ 
sary  for  the  proper  support  and  maintenance  of  the 
families  of  such  volunteers  then  in  the  service  from  this 
district  as  might  need  it. 

Dr.  James  S.  Brockinton  offered  the  following  preamble 
and  resolution  which  was  adopted  by  unanimous  and 
heartfelt  vote. 

“Whereas :  Many  of  our  citizens  have  volunteered  for 
service  for  the  defense  of  our  country,  and,  in  a  good 
many  instances,  have  left  families  in  indigent  circum¬ 
stances;  and,  whereas,  the  war  now  being  waged  against 
us  has  for  its  object  the  subversion  of  our  institutions  and 
the  destruction  of  our  liberties,  it  becomes  the  impera¬ 
tive  duty  of  those  of  us  who  are  not  bearing  the  heat 
and  burden  of  the  day  to  sustain  those  that  are;  and  that 
it  is  not  a  charity  but  a  positive  duty,  which  we  owe  to 
these  brave  men,  to  see  that  the  families  of  those  who 
need  peculiar  aid  do  not  suffer. 

“Therefore,  resolved  that  an  assessment  upon  the  taxes 
of  citizens,  except  the  volunteers,  is  a  just  and  equal  way 
of  raising  sufficient  funds.” 

On  motion  of  John  B.  Pressley,  Esq.,  Colonel  David 
Wrilson  and  Messrs.  L.  E.  Graham  and  W.  L.  Lee  were 
appointed  a  committee  to  investigate  and  to  report  the 
amount  necessary  for  the  immediate  needs  of  the  families 
of  volunteers  then  in  service.  This  committee  reported 
that  there  were  then  two  hundred  and  twenty  persons 
needing  help  and  suggested  that  $3,300.00  be  made  im¬ 
mediately  available  for  distribution  among  them.  The 
committee  recommended  that  an  assessment  of  20  per 
centum  on  the  taxes  of  citizens  of  Williamsburg  be  col- 
lected  for  the  purpose  of  raising  this  amount. 

The  following  persons  were  appointed  for  looking  after 
the  needy  and  for  disbursing  the  funds  raised  for  them: 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


369 


for  Black  Mingo,  J.  A.  Hemingway  and  John  B.  Pres¬ 
sley;  for  Andersons,  S.  E.  Graham,  John  Lequex,  Sr., 
and  J.  S.  Singleton;  for  Kingstree,  David  Epps,  W.  R. 
Brockinton,  S.  J.  Montgomery,  and  Thomas  China;  for 
Indiantown,  Thomas  M.  McCutchen  and  W.  C.  Barr; 
for  Lynch's  Lake,  N.  M.  Graham,  W.  J.  Nettles,  and  J.  L. 
Jones. 

The  following  were  appointed  collectors  of  this  volun¬ 
tary  tax  of  20  per  centum  for  their  respective  commu¬ 
nities:  Lynch's  Lake,  J.  M.  Coward,  Benjamin  Turner, 
and  J.  A.  H.  Cockfield;  Black  Mingo,  John  F.  Nesmith, 
J.  D.  Daniel,  and  W.  H.  Johnson;  Andersons,  T.  D.  Muller, 
George  McDonald,  and  John  Watson;  Kingstree,  H.  A. 
McCullough,  W.  H.  McElveen,  and  H.  Montgomery,  Sr. ; 
Indiantown,  W.  J.  Brown,  Thomas  McCutchen,  and  Dr. 
J.  A.  James. 

S.  E.  Graham  was  made  permanent  chairman  of  the 
association  and  Captain  J.  C.  Wilson,  secretary.  Dr. 
John  F.  Brockinton  was  unanimously  chosen  as  treasurer. 
This  organization  functioned  all  during  the  Confederate 
War.  There  is  nothing  more  beautiful  in  all  Confede¬ 
rate  war  historv  than  the  service  which  this  association 
rendered. 

It  is  possible  that  the  idea  in  this  association  might 
have  orginated  elsewhere  than  in  Williamsburg,  but  it 
is  certain  that  nowhere  else  was  it  more  splendidly  ma- 
teralized.  This  act  of  the  citizenship  of  Williamsburg 
in  voluntarily  assessing,  for  the  relief  of  the  families  of 
volunteer  soldiers,  the  property  of  the  District  20  per 
centum  on  its  normal  rate  of  taxation,  seems  a  con¬ 
tribution  to  the  progress  of  the  world. 

The  women  of  Wiliamsburg  were  no  less  faithful  in 
doing  all  they  could  for  the  families  of  volunteers  about 
them  than  they  were  for  sending  relief  to  the  soldiers 
in  the  field.  There  are  no  records  of  the  thousands  of 
things  which  those  who  were  able  contributed  during  this 


370 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


war  for  the  sustenance  of  their  less  fortunate  neighbors. 
There  are  some  records,  however,  of  the  Soldiers’  Aid 
Societies  in  the  district. 

On  the  8tli  of  August,  1861,  the  Cedar  Swamp  Soldiers’ 
Aid  Society  was  organized.  The  following  is  a  list  of 
the  officers  and  members :  President,  Mrs  A.  M.  Cunning¬ 
ham;  vice-president,  Mrs.  M.  G.  McCrea;  secretary,  Miss 
Eugenia  P.  Scott;  treasurer,  Miss  Mary  J.  Cunning¬ 
ham;  members,  Mrs.  Mary  Scott,  Mrs  Ellen  McCottry, 
Mrs.  Martha  Chandler,  Mrs.  C.  R.  Flagler,  Miss  Rosa 
Flagler,  Mrs  Martha  McCullough,  Mrs.  M.  Gardner,  Miss 
Sarah  McCullough,  Miss  Addie  Flagler,  Miss  Julia  Scott, 
Mrs.  Jane  Sturgis,  Mrs.  Sarah  A.  McGill,  Mrs.  M.  E. 
Chandler,  Mrs.  Sarah  Brown,  Miss  Adeline  Mitchum, 
Miss  Elizabeth  Mitchum,  Mrs.  Elizabeth  Tisdale.  Miss 
Mary  Grayson,  and  Mrs.  J.  C.  Williams.  The  committee 
to  solicit  aid  was  composed  of  the  following :  Mrs.  Mary 
M.  Scott,  Mrs.  Ellen  McCottry,  Mrs.  Mary  J.  McCullough, 
Mrs.  C.  R.  Flagler,  and  Miss  Rosa  Flagler.  This  commit¬ 
tee  reported  at  the  meeting  later  in  the  same  month 
$91.00  in  cash  and  enough  clothing  to  fill  two  large  boxes. 

At  this  meeting,  the  president  of  the  society  thanked 
the  merchants  of  the  district  for  liberal  donations  of 
cloth  and  other  material  for  making  supplies  for  the 
soldiers.  She  also  urged  the  women  of  other  districts  to 
form  other  societies  like  this  one  at  Cedar  Swamp. 

Immediately  after  the  formation  of  the  Cedar  Swamp 
Society,  the  Lower  Bridge  Soldiers’  Aid  Society  was  or¬ 
ganized.  The  following  were  officers :  Mrs  J.  A.  Salters, 
president;  Mrs.  H.  D.  Shaw,  Mrs.  John  Watson,  Mrs.  J. 
A.  Gordon,  and  Mrs.  A.  C.  McKnight,  vice-presidents; 
Mrs.  J.  B.  McCollough,  secretary;  and  Mrs.  M.  A.  Brad¬ 
ford,  treasurer. 

These  societies  were  then  organized  in  all  sections  of 
Williamsburg.  The  boxes  ladies  societies  from  Williams¬ 
burg  sent  to  these  soldiers  in  the  field  contained  almost 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


371 


every  conceivable  thing  useful.  Among  these,  may  be 
mentioned :  shirts,  socks,  mitts,  scarfs,  sheets,  pillows, 
pillow  cases,  spreads,  towels,  blankets,  wines,  liquors, 
syrup,  preserves,  pickels,  arrowroot,  gelatin,  tea,  sugar, 
buttons,  needles,  tape,  spool  cotton,  flax  thread,  hanks  of 
yarn,  Bibles,  Prayer  Books,  pamphlets,  Port  wine,  Madei¬ 
ra  wine,  blackberry  wine,  brandy,  cordial,  whiskey,  honey, 
catsup,  cocoa,  chocolate,  isinglass,  nutmegs,  cloves,  all¬ 
spice,  pepper,  sage,  candles,  soap,  plates,  tin  pans,  tin 
cups,  spoons,  knives,  forks,  tea  pots,  coffee  pots,  mugs, 
pitchers,  and  candle  sticks. 

In  the  old  files  of  the  Mercury  and  the  Courier,  pub¬ 
lished  during  the  war  in  Charleston,  may  be  found  from 
time  to  time  lists  of  contributions  in  money  and  in  kind 
by  individuals  from  Williamsburg.  One  of  the  items  in 
these  old  lists  runs  as  follows :  “A  coop  of  twenty-two 
chickens,  eight  from  little  Mary  Brockinton  and  fourteen 
from  the  servants  of  Dr.  John  P.  Brockinton. 

Scotch  loyalty  to  its  very  own  came  out  in  all  its 
beauty  when  Williamsburg  men  went  to  war. 

While  Williamsburg  had  full  storehouses  on  January  1, 
1861,  it  was  almost  exclusively  an  agricultural  and  stock 
raising  community,  and  some  things  that  had  been  by 
custom  imported  soon  became  scarce.  Salt,  coffee,  dye¬ 
stuffs,  and  the  clothing  that  the  “elect”  wore  could  not 
be  purchased  for  many  months  after  Union  gunboats 
blockaded  Southern  ports.  The  following  quotations  are 
taken  from  The  Macon  Telegraph  of  September  25,  1861 : 

“The  only  trouble  is  salt,  and  to  think  that  salt  should 
be  scarce  with  the  Atlantic  brine  tub  on  our  borders 
is  a  reflection  on  the  intelligence  and  enterprise  of  the  Con¬ 
federate  States.  If  a  planter  living  beside  a  lake  of  cane 
juice  should  lament  over  the  scarcity  of  sugar  and  syrup 
in  his  family,  there  would  be  but  one  response,  ‘you  in¬ 
fernal  fool,  go  get  a  kettle  and  boil  down  some  of  that 


372 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


cane  juice.’  Ditto,  a  people  living  beside  a  salt  pond  and 
too  lazy  to  boil  down  or  otherwise  evaporate  the  water. 

“To  cheapen  coffee,  do  not  use  the  stuff.  There  is  not 
one  cook  in  five  hundred  who  ever  did  anything  else  but 
abuse  it.  Some  of  the  papers  are  recommending  substi¬ 
tutes,  parched  beans,  peas,  rye,  bread  crusts,  acorns,  etc. 
Swamp  mud  with  black  water  is  just  as  effectual,  but 
neither  of  them  will  make  coffee  anv  more  than  chalk  will 

%j 

make  cheese.  If  you  must  have  a  warm  drink,  take  boil¬ 
ing  water  and  put  a  little  milk  and  sugar  in  it.  Compared 
with  what  is  called  coffee,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten,  it  is 
nectar  of  the  gods  to  lager  beer  and  does  you  no  harm, 
while  coffee  fills  your  stomach  with  mud  banks  and  shoals 
against  which  the  bark  of  human  life  is  often  wrecked. 
The  greatest  humbug  in  the  world  as  commonly  under¬ 
stood  and  practiced  is  coffee.  The  practice  should  be 
suppressed  by  the  Board  of  Health  if  there  were  no  war 
to  do  it.” 

The  scarcity  of  salt  reached  considerable  proportions 
early  in  the  summer  of  1861.  It  was  not  very  long  before 
Williamsburg  planters  learned  that  they  could  evaporate 
the  water  of  the  Atlantic  and  secure  the  salt  just  as  easily 
as  they  could  boil  out  the  cane  juice  into  syrup  and  sugar. 
Soon  the  McClellanville  coast  was  lined  with  squads  of 
salt  making  slaves  from  the  plantations  of  Williamsburg. 

Williamsburg  slaves  wore,  as  a  general  rule,  clothing 
made  by  themselves  from  the  cotton  and  wool  grown  on 
their  own  plantations.  These  homespun  goods  had  to  be 
colored.  Before  the  War,  dyestuffs  had  been  imported. 
When  thev  could  not  be  secured  from  the  outside,  the 
District  had  to  filter  from  its  own  vegetation  all  the  color¬ 
ing  matter  used.  About  this  time,  the  newspapers  were 
full  of  recipes  for  making  dyes.  On  July  23,  1861,  the 
correspondent  of  the  Courier  from  Graham’s  Turnout  in 
Williamsburg  submitted  the  following:  “When  a  small 
boy,  I  recollect  to  have  gathered  bushels  of  the  sumac 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


373 


berry  on  the  mountains  in  tbis  state  for  the  purpose  of 
baying  wool  died  black  for  tbe  woof  of  our  borne  made 
gears.  There  can  be  almost  any  quantity  gathered  in 
tbis  section  almost  without  any  charge.  Anyone  wish¬ 
ing  to  try  dyeing  wool  will  find  it  one  of  the  hand¬ 
somest  black  dyes  known  to  me.” 

The  supply  of  imported  fabrics  that  Southern  gentle¬ 
women  wore  began  to  fail  after  the  blockade  was  made  ef¬ 
fective.  All  plantations  kept  making  and  were  well  sup¬ 
plied  with  homespun,  a  substantial  clean  looking  service¬ 
able  kind  of  cloth.  This  had  been  the  clothing  of  slaves. 
Early  in  1861,  two  belles  of  Portsmouth,  Virginia,  ap¬ 
peared  at  a  high  social  affair,  clad  in  homespun  dresses. 
Everybody  said  they  were  beautiful.  Southern  news¬ 
papers  commented  on  their  winsomeness  in  such  simple 
raiment.  Southern  girls  began  to  wear  homespun  dresses 
and  glory  in  them.  About  that  time,  Miss  Carrie  Belle 
Sinclair,  of  Savannah,  Georgia,  composed  a  song  which 
was  sung  all  over  the  South.  Soldiers  went  into  battle 
with  its  words  in  their  mouths  and  its  spirit  in  their 
souls.  Every  young  woman  in  Williamsburg  knew  it  and 
hummed  it  as  she  stitched  and  knitted  and  prayed  for 
her  gray  clad  soldier  in  the  field. 

Somebody  said  “Give  me  to  write  the  songs  of  a  nation 
and  I  care  not  who  makes  its  laws.”  But  who  writes  the 
songs  of  a  nation  must  be  of  that  nation.  It  is  interest¬ 
ing  to  note  in  connection  with  the  authorship  of  this 
song  that  James  Sinclair  settled  on  the  Santee  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  in  1725.  It  may  be  that  something  else  shows 
more  of  the  soul  of  the  Southern  girl  of  the  sixties  than 
“The  Homespun  Dress,”  but  it  is  improbable.  Here  are 
the  words  to 


374 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


THE  HOMESPUN  DRESS. 

Oh,  yes  I  am  a  Southern  girl, 

And  glory  in  the  name; 

I  boast  of  it  with  greater  pride 

Than  glittering  wealth  or  fame. 

I  envy  not  the  Northern  girl 
Her  robes  of  beauty  rare, 

Though  diamonds  deck  her  snowy  neck 
And  pearls  bestud  her  hair. 


Hurrah,  Hurrah  ! 

For  the  sunny  South,  so  dear ! 
Three  cheers  for  the  homespun  dress 
The  Southern  ladies  wear. 


Now  Northern  goods  are  out  of  date ; 

And  since  Old  Abe’s  blockade 
We  Southern  girls  can  be  content 

With  goods  that’s  Southern  made. 
We  send  our  sweethearts  to  the  war, 
But  girls,  ne’er  you  mind — 

Your  soldier  love  will  not  forget 
The  girl  he  left  behind. 


The  Southern  land’s  a  glorious  land, 

And  has  a  glorious  cause ; 

Then  cheer,  three  cheers  for  Southern  rights, 
And  for  the  Southern  boys ! 

We  scorn  to  wear  a  bit  of  silk, 

A  bit  of  Northern  lace, 

But  make  our  homespun  dresses  up 
And  wear  them  with  a  grace. 


And  now,  young  man,  a  word  to  you, 
If  you  would  win  the  fair, 

Go  to  the  field  where  honor  calls, 
And  win  your  lady  there. 
Remember  that  our  brightest  smiles 
Are  for  the  true  and  brave, 

And  that  our  tears  are  all  for  those 
Who  fill  the  soldier’s  grave. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


375 


About  this  time,  the  sale  and  exportation  of  cotton  was 
one  of  the  most  important  questions  before  the  Confed¬ 
eracy.  The  newspapers  were  filled  with  arguments  on 
both  sides  of  the  question.  The  factors  of  Charleston  said 
to  the  planters  of  this  and  other  states  and  printed  it  in 
capital  letters  that  they  should  “send  none  of  their  cotton 
to  America  until  the  blockade  is  expressly  removed  from 
all  the  ports  of  the  Southern  States.”  According  to  in¬ 
formation,  one  bank  in  Charleston  had  more  than  a  mil¬ 
lion  dollars  balance  in  the  Bank  of  England,  and  many 
other  banks  in  Charleston  and  other  cities  in  the  South 
had  large  balances  in  banks  in  England  and  France.  They 
said  the  South  could  finance  the  War  without  selling  a 
bale  of  cotton.  Cotton  men  believed  they  could  compel 
the  nations  of  the  earth  to  recognize  the  Southern  Confed¬ 
eracy  and  thus  prove  their  statement  that  “Cotton  is 
King.”  “When  the  hum  of  the  spinning  wheel  mingles 
with  the  roar  of  the  cannon,  we  will  have  two  armies  work¬ 
ing  out  a  complete  and  eternal  independence  of  the 
South.”  “If  cotton  compels  a  recognition  of  the  Southern 
Confederacy,  cotton  will  indeed  be  king.” 

One  of  the  saddest  things  of  all  this  time  was  the  fear¬ 
ful  preaching  of  nearly  all  Southern  ministers.  They 
held  up  constantly  and  continuously  before  the  soldiers 
and  their  mothers  dreadful  pictures  of  Death  and  Hell 
and  pleaded  with  them  to  prepare  to  meet  an  awful  God 
in  a  Day  of  Wrath.  Not  only  did  these  probably  well 
intentioned  divines  preach  these  orgiastic  frenzies,  but 
they  also  revelled  in  distributing  among  the  young  im¬ 
pressionable  heroic  men  in  the  Southern  Armies  all  man¬ 
ner  of  so  called  tracts  wherein  fanatical  apostles  of  gloom 
had  written  their  worst.  The  subjects  of  some  of  these 
tracts  were:  How  Long  Have  You  Been  Sick;  The  Muf¬ 
fled  Drum;  The  Crimean  Hero;  A  Soldier’s  Legacy;  The 
Soldier’s  Victory;  How  Do  You  Bear  Your  Troubles; 
Prepare  to  Meet  Thy  God. 


376 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


These  preachers  evidently  meant  well.  But  the  mental 
agony  they  induced  on  the  field  and  about  the  firesides 
in  the  land  no  poet’s  pen  can  ever  picture  and  no  orator’s 
tongue  can  ever  tell.  When  one  now  reads  in  the  soldiers’ 
diaries  and  mothers’  memoirs  the  fearful  religious  at¬ 
mosphere  pervading  camp  ground  and  castle  in  all  this 
beautiful  land,  he  wonders  how  Southern  men  ever  mus¬ 
tered  sufficient  morale  to  move  into  battle.  It  is  the 
most  wonderful  thing  in  all  this  war  that  valiant  men 
came  out  of  such  impenetrable  gloom.  God  may  have 
forgiven  these  deadening  “white  vested  Colonels  of  the 
Cross:”  He  may  not. 

The  parents  of  many  Williamsburg  sons  who  went  to 
war  made  the  captains  of  the  companies  in  which  their 
sons  enlisted  promise  that  they  would  stay  with  these 
companies  until  the  war  ended.  It  was  no  little  thing 
in  a  mother  to  turn  over  her  favorite  nor  a  father  his 
first  born  to  the  god  of  war.  These  parents  had  confi¬ 
dence  in  these  captains  and  these  captains  fulfilled  their 
mission.  So  when  the  Tenth  South  Carolina  Regiment 
in  1861  found  it  necessary  to  elect  a  major,  all  of  the 
captains  of  the  regiment  declined  the  promotion,  choosing 
to  remain  with  their  companies,  and  recommended  that 
Lieutenant  A.  J.  Shaw  be  made  major,  which  was  done. 

There  were  more  of  Williamsburg’s  men  in  the  Tenth 
Regiment  of  Infantry  than  in  any  other  Confederate 
organization.  There  were  three  Williamsburg  companies 
in  it,  and  many  Williamsburg  men  in  other  companies. 
Colonel  A.  M.  Manigault,  of  Charleston,  commanded  the 
Regiment  at  the  beginning,  but  these  officers  of  the  field 
and  staff  were  from  Wiliamsburg:  Lieutenant  Colonel 
James  F,  Pressley,  Major  A.  J.  Shaw,  quartermaster,  and 
Captain  T.  N.  Britton,  commissary. 

The  Tenth  Infantry  from  July  23,  1861,  to  the  end  of  the 
year,  was  stationed  at  Camp  Marion,  just  below  White’s 
Bridge,  two  miles  west  of  Georgetown.  Here  General 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1861 


377 


Marion  liad  a  camp  during  the  War  of  the  Revolution, 
and  on  this  ground  Colonel  Horry  whipped  the  Tories 
and  the  brave  young  Marion,  the  General's  nephew,  fell. 
While  here,  the  Tenth  was  drilled  and  disciplined  for 
war.  Besides  the  officers,  Lieutenants  W.  B.  McKee,  L. 
B.  Stark,  M.  S.  Elliott,  J.  L.  Taylor,  J.  C.  Neill,  and  A. 
Doty,  of  the  Citadel,  assisted  as  drill  masters  and  helped 
instruct  the  men  in  the  art  of  war.  Surgeon  T.  S.  Heming¬ 
way,  of  Wiliamsburg,  a  recent  graduate  of  the  Citadel, 
was  instructor  in  the  management  of  big  guns  and  heavy 
field  artillery. 

A  newspaper  correspondent  thus  wrote  from  the  camp : 
“The  Tenth  Regiment  is  fortunate  in  having  Colonel  Mani- 
gault  to  command  it.  Firm  and  resolute,  he  is  at  the  same 
time  kind  and  gentle.  On  the  field  his  voice  rings  like 
a  trumpet.  He  is  a  most  courteous  gentleman  and  genial 
companion.  He  bore  himself  with  distinguished  gallantry 
through  the  Mexican  campaign  and  is  the  very  man  to 
lead  the  brave  boys  of  the  Tenth  to  victory. 

“Lieutenant  Colonel  Pressley  and  Major  Shaw  are  ac¬ 
complished  officers,  Pressley  a  graduate  of  our  Citadel 
and  Shaw  a  soldier  bv  constitutional  inclination.  Com- 
missary,  Captain  Britton,  has  a  difficult  position  which 
he  fills  most  acceptably.  The  soldiers  attend  religious 
services,  seeming  to  esteem  it  a  pleasure  and  not  a  task 
to  worship  God.  In  the  evenings,  the  encampment  rings 
with  sacred  songs.’7 

No  military  event  occurred  in  Virginia  in  1861  after 
the  battle  of  Manassas  in  which  South  Carolina  troops 
were  engaged.  About  November  1,  1861,  the  Union  forces 
took  Port  Royal  from  the  Confederates.  Williamsburg 
was  there  in  Company  G,  Fifteenth  Infantry,  Captain  J. 
B.  Chandler.  In  the  battle  at  Hilton  Head,  Andrew  J. 
Eaddy,  H.  IL.  Kinder,  and  Henry  Bowden,  of  Williams¬ 
burg,  were  seriously  wounded  and  incapacitated  for  fur¬ 
ther  military  service. 


378 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


From  this  time,  the  Union  forces  began  closing  in  on 
the  coast  of  South  Carolina  and  keeping  up  continuous 
warfare.  The  defeat  of  the  Confederate  forces  at  Port 
Royal  brought  great  grief  to  South  Carolina  and  the 
blockade  of  the  entire  coast  made  war  very  real  to  all 
the  people  of  the  State.  Williamsburg  spent  a  serious 
Christmas  1861. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1862. 

The  first  months  of  the  year  1862  Williamsburg  actually 
organized  its  military  forces  and  disciplined  its  civilian 
population  for  the  grim  business  of  war.  On  February  1, 
1862,  the  following  companies  from  Williamsburg  were 
in  training  camps:  I.  Company  G,  Fifteenth  Infantry, 
Captain  James  McCutchen,  enlisted  for  the  period  of  the 
war;  2.  Wee  Xee  Volunteers,  Captain  J.  G.  Pressley, 
in  Colonel  Hagood’s  First  South  Carolina  Infantry,  for 

O  7 

one  year  from  April  12,  1861 ;  3.  Company  E,  Tenth 
Infantry,  Captain  J.  F.  Carraway,  for  twelve  months  from 
July  19,  1861;  4.  Company  H,  Tenth  Infantry,  Captain 

J.  R.  Nettles,  for  twelve  months  from  July  19,  1861;  5. 

Captain  John  Watson  and  his  cavalry  company  in  the 
Pee  Dee  Legion,  for  twelve  months  from  January  1,  1862; 
6.  Captain  S.  D.  M.  Byrd  and  his  company  in  Major 
Manigault’s  Battalion;  7.  Captain  William  B.  Gordon 
and  his  company  known  as  the  Ripley  Guards  stationed 
at  the  Santee  Bridge  doing  local  duty  and  enlisted  for 
twelve  months;  8.  The  Wee  Nee  Riflemen  under  Captain 
Samuel  W.  Maurice,  Third  Regiment,  at  Camp  Harlee, 
Georgetown.  There  were  in  these  companies  about  eight 
hundred  men.  There  were  then  in  companies  formed  in 
the  surrounding  districts  more  than  three  hundred  men 
from  Williamsburg.  Of  these  eleven  hundred  men  from 
Williamsburg  then  under  arms,  the  one  hundred  men  in 
Captain  James  McCutchen’s  company  were  the  only  ones 
from  this  district  who  had  enlisted  for  the  duration  of 
the  war. 

The  Wee  Nee  Volunteers  commanded  by  Captain  John 
G.  Pressley  became  Company  C  of  the  Twenty-Fifth  Regi¬ 
ment  under  Colonel  Charles  H.  Simonton.  Captain  Press- 
lev  was  then  elected  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  this  Regiment 


380 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  commanded  it  in  nearly  all  of  its  battle  service.  Col¬ 
onel  Simonton  was  commanding  a  brigade  or  on  detached 
service  in  the  Judge  Advocate’s  Department  for  the 
greater  part  of  the  War.  Captain  Thomas  J.  China  suc¬ 
ceeded  Captain  Pressley  in  command  of  the  Wee  Nee 
Volunteers,  and  later,  after  Captain  China  had  been 
killed,  Captain  Calhoun  Logan  commanded  it. 

James  F.  Pressley  organized  Company  E,  Tenth  In¬ 
fantry,  but  when  the  Tenth  Infantry  was  formed,  Captain 
Pressley  was  elected  Lieutenant  Colonel  of  this  Regiment 
and  Captain  James  F.  Carraway  succeeded  him  in  com¬ 
mand  of  the  Company.  When  this  Tenth  Infantry  com¬ 
manded  by  Colonel  A.  M.  Manigault  was  organized  for 
the  duration  of  the  War,  Captain  Carraway  of  Company 
E  resigned  and  Captain  T.  N.  Miller  succeeded  him.  Cap¬ 
tain  Miller  died  at  Tupelo,  Mississippi,  in  1862,  and  Cap¬ 
tain  G.  P.  Anderson  succeeded  him.  This  Regiment  in 
1862  had  in  it  for  the  duration  of  the  War  also  from 
Williamsburg  Captain  J.  R.  Nettles’  Company  H.  When 
Captain  Watson’s  Company,  Williamsburg  Light  Dra¬ 
goons,  became  Company  I,  Fourth  Cavalry,  it  was  under 
the  command  of  Captain  S.  J.  Snowden.  This  year  Cap¬ 
tain  Byrd  was  promoted,  becoming  Major  of  Byrd’s  Bat¬ 
talion  in  the  Twenty-Sixth  Regiment  of  Infantry.  Cap¬ 
tain  C.  S.  Land  succeeded  him  in  command  of  the  Com¬ 
pany. 

“In  September  of  this  year,  there  was  a  great  demand 
for  soldiers  to  defend  our  seacoast  and  companies  com¬ 
posed  of  old  men  and  broken  down  Confederate  soldiers 
residing  in  our  Congressional  District  were  called  into 
service.  After  two  months  at  Fort  Finger  on  the  Pee 
Dee  River,  Colonel  E.  B.  C.  Cash’s  Regiment  was  ordered 
to  report  at  Georgetown  and  thither  we  went.  At  an 
election  for  officers  for  the  Williamsburg  and  George¬ 
town  Company,  the  following  men  were  chosen :  S.  D. 
McGill,  captain;  A.  F.  Gardner,  first  lieutenant;  W.  G. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1862  381 

Cantley,  second  lieutenant;  W.  J.  Grayson,  third  lieu¬ 
tenant. 

“Williamsburg  was  assigned  as  a  guard  around  the 
colors  of  the  regiment  obtained  by  Major  J.  B.  Chandler, 
a  native  of  and  interested  in  our  County.  At  the  organi¬ 
zation  of  Company  D,  the  following  non-commissioned 
officers  were  appointed  by  its  captain :  W.  D.  Fulton, 
first  sergeant;  W.  J.  Lee,  second  sergeant;  S.  J.  Strong, 
third  sergeant;  Jesse  Carter,  fourth  sergeant;  T.  S. 
Stuart,  fifth  sergeant;  J.  M.  Gordon,  first  corporal;  R.  F. 
Scott,  second  corporal ;  E.  H.  McConnell,  third  corporal ; 
W.  J.  Stone,  fourth  corporal.  The  latter  being  quickly 
detailed  in  blacksmith  shop,  J.  D.  Harper  was  appointed 
in  his  place. 

“At  first,  there  were  one  hundred  twentv-six  men  on  roll, 
but  a  few  were  detailed  from  the  company,  as  their  ser¬ 
vices  were  required  in  other  duties,  occasioning  a  change 
among  the  non-commissioned  officers.  When  the  com¬ 
pany  was  disbanded  in  February,  1863,  at  Kingstree,  there 
were  one  hundred  three  men  on  duty  and  there  they  were 
paid  off  by  the  Captain  for  their  services  under  him,  in¬ 
cluding  their  commutation  money,  amounting  to  $6,935.41 
in  the  aggregate. 

“These  have  been  preserved  and  below  is  the  list  of 
members  of  Company  D,  Second  Regiment  of  Reserves : 

S.  D.  McGill,  Jesse  Carter,  R.  S.  Tisdale,  A.  F.  Gardner, 

T.  S.  Stuart,  J.  D.  Harper,  S.  A.  Scott,  E.  Baxley,  D. 
Baker,  W.  Burrows,  S.  Cribb,  L.  Cribb,  I.  Coker,  A.  Car- 
raway,  L.  J.  Dennis,  P.  O.  Eaddy,  W.  I).  Fulton,  J.  Hath¬ 
away,  J.  G.  Hanna,  A.  M.  Jayroe,  I.  D.  Byrd,  W.  H. 
Brown,  I.  R.  Bradshaw,  J.  R.  Crosby,  I.  Cribb,  S.  Cooper, 
W.  J.  Cameron,  A.  DuBose,  R.  I.  Eaddy,  R.  W.  Fulton, 
I.  D.  Ham,  C.  Hanna,  J.  H.  Johnson,  P.  P.  June,  B. 
Lambert,  S.  R.  Mitchum,  W.  G.  Cantley,  R.  F.  Scott, 
E.  G.  Cantley  (Harper’s  substitute)  ;  W.  J.  Grayson, 
E.  H.  McConnell,  J.  Bradshaw,  W.  Altman,  L.  Brown, 


382 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


I.  M.  Buckles,  R.  R.  Blakely,  C.  Cribb,  A.  Cribb,  W. 
M.  Campbell,  Z.  T.  Ham,  W.  Epps,  G.  Freeman,  R.  Gam¬ 
ble,  J.  E.  Howard,  J.  F.  Hanna,  W.  J.  Baxley,  I.  K.  Bar- 
field,  R.  W.  Burns,  B.  G.  Blake,  T.  Cribb,  John  Cribb, 

S.  Coltrain,  W.  B.  Davis,  D.  Epps,  I.  W.  Forbes,  N. 
Graham,  T.  J.  Hughes,  S.  D.  Hanna,  W.  Jefferson,  B. 
Kirby,  J.  C.  Lesesne,  E.  J.  C.  Matthews,  A.  M.  Matthews, 
W.  A.  Myers,  Tim  Prosser,  J.  E.  Richburg,  E.  E.  Stone, 

T.  S.  Thompson,  R.  Cribb,  H.  Lambert,  W.  J.  J.  Lifrage, 
John  Matthews,  D.  McClam,  L.  E.  Powell,  R.  Rodgers, 
Thomas  Stone,  R.  G.  Thompson,  W.  McClam,  Isaac  Pos¬ 
ton,  D.  R.  Russ,  B.  F.  Singletary,  W.  G.  Thompson,  W. 

J.  Wilder,  W.  P.  Kennedy,  A.  J.  Lambert,  R.  J.  Morris, 
J.  T.  McCants,  R.  Pipkins,  E.  Pope,  J.  W.  Scott,  W.  J. 
Stone,  R.  Williams,  B.  F.  Westbury.”  ( McGill’s  Remi¬ 
niscences  of  Williamsburg.) 

The  second  man  from  Williamsburg  killed  in  the  War 
was  Benjamin  Faneuil  Scott,  Sergeant  of  Company  K, 
Sixth  Infantry.  He  rushed  on  the  field  at  Williamsburg, 
Virginia,  on  May  5,  1862,  received  from  the  first  volley 
a  wound  in  his  thigh,  was  taken  by  the  enemy  sweeping 
the  field  and  died  in  their  hands.  His  cousin,  Alonzo 
W.  Flagler,  saw  him  fall,  but  could  give  no  further  in¬ 
formation  of  him.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of  John  Ervin 
and  Mary  Gordon  Scott.  His  mother  hoped  as  long  as 
she  lived  that  he  might  return. 

On  the  Chickahominy  River  at  Seven  Pines,  Fair  Oaks, 
Gaines  Mill,  Savage  Station,  and  at  Malvern  Hill,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  were  killed:  R.  M.  Footman,  J.  J.  Gamble,  A.  M. 
Gamble,  W.  S.  McFaddin,  G.  S.  Croft,  F.  F.  Parsons.  These 
were  wounded :  J.  S.  McCullough,  H.  C.  Floyd,  J.  H.  Ful- 
more,  W.  S.  Allen,  R.  M.  Barron,  D.  Keels,  J.  A.  McCrea,  J. 
T.  El  well,  A.  F.  El  well,  J.  M.  Gardner,  John  Green  and 
S.  B.  Gordon. 

At  Second  Manassas,  these  were  killed:  W.  J.  Mat¬ 
thews,  R.  Franklin  Cox;  wounded,  W.  J.  Ferrell,  G.  S. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1862 


383 


B.  Huggins,  and  G.  G.  McElveen.  Killed  at  Boonsboro, 
September  14,  1862 :  S.  T.  Chandler,  John  Hudson, 
William  McCallister,  J.  McDonald,  and  George  W. 
Spring.  Killed  at  Maryland  Heights,  Lieutenant  W.  E. 
Keels.  Wounded  at  Maryland  Heights,  Washington 
Venters.  Wounded  at  Fort  Sumter,  November  2,  1862, 
E.  Johnson.  Wounded  at  Fredericksburg,  December  13, 
1862 :  G.  S.  Faddy,  H.  D.  Gamble,  Lieutenant  G.  W.  Bar¬ 
ron,  W.  L.  Graham,  J.  M.  Graham,  John  Thompson,  W. 
J.  Wilson,  Captain  James  McCutchen,  and  W.  S.  Eaddy. 
At  Sharpsburg,  September  17,  1862,  were  killed :  W. 
W.  Cunningham,  Hugh  Johnson,  and  Daniel  Conyers  Ne¬ 
smith  ;  wounded,  Alonzo  W.  Flagler.  Wounded  at  Cor¬ 
inth,  May  26,  1862,  William  G.  Gamble,  W.  J.  Britton. 

At  Murfreesboro,  December  31,  1862,  killed:  C.  W. 
Cockfield,  J.  H.  Cockfleld,  S.  F.  R.  Godwin,  T.  J.  Harrison, 
Reuben  W.  Kirby,  Thomas  Jordan,  James  M.  Matthews, 
G.  W.  Matthews,  James  McMulken,  W.  J.  Munn,  Captain 
J.  R.  Nettles,  Joseph  B.  Russ,  R.  Turbeville,  and  T.  E.  Wil¬ 
liamson;  wounded:  W.  J.  Clarkson,  John  L.  Nesmith, 
Francis  L.  McCants,  C.  B.  Goude,  Thomas  Hathaway,  W. 
J.  Pipkin,  Hampton  Lee,  John  McKnight,  Alexander  Par¬ 
ker,  G.  W.  Huggins,  N.  Gray,  D.  E.  Coward,  C.  W.  Daniels, 
G.  R.  Matthews,  W.  P.  Scott,  H.  W.  Blakely,  and  Benja¬ 
min  Beatty. 

Death  may  be  a  beautiful  thing  when  a  young  man 
rejoicing  in  his  strength  rushes  out  to  meet  a  valiant 
enemy  and  falls  in  the  forefront  of  the  battle  line.  There 
it  is  swift  death  or  sweet  victory,  but  where  a  young  man 
wastes  away  with  some  loathsome  disease  in  some  pesti¬ 
lential  hospital,  when  his  strong  comrades  are  outside 
responding  to  the  clear  call  to  fame,  and  the  bugle  notes 
with  failing  strength  fall  on  his  ears — this  is  death  with 
all  its  sting. 

From  Williamsburg  there  had  died  of  disease  in  1861 
the  following:  John  B.  Abrams,  Washington  Carraway, 


384 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


J.  W.  Coker,  B.  F.  Ferrell,  L.  W.  Fenters,  T.  B.  Fleming, 
E.  A.  Flowers,  J.  B.  Flowers,  Thomas  M.  Fulton,  T.  J. 
Gaskins,  J.  F.  Gurgames,  J.  W.  Hanna,  John  Haselden, 
George  Jones,  Henry  Long,  J.  J.  Matthews,  R.  W.  J. 
McIntosh,  Thomas  Port,  J.  F.  Welch,  J.  J.  Whitehead. 

The  following  died  of  disease  from  Williamsburg  in 
1862 :  D.  W.  Baxley,  H.  C.  Baxley,  J.  W.  Baxley,  Thomas 
Boon,  J.  F.  Bridgman,  B.  F.  Britton,  J.  S.  Brockinton, 
Lieutenant  S.  B.  Brown,  W.  P.  Budclen,  S.  B.  Burkett, 
E.  E.  Cain,  S.  T.  Chandler,  A.  B.  Carter,  G.  W.  Carter, 
John  H.  Carter,  J.  W.  Cook,  S.  Dye,  J.  C.  Fenters,  J.  J. 
Fenters,  D.  F.  Fenters,  Andrew  P.  Flagler,  L.  B.  Floyd, 
William  B.  Ferdon,  J.  B.  Freeman,  J.  B.  Godwin,  L. 
Haines,  W.  B.  Hardick,  F.  M.  Howard,  C.  Houston,  L. 
Jones,  Amos  Jones,  Louis  Jones,  T.  Jordan,  C.  W.  Lee, 
W.  C.  Lee,  P.  D.  Lee,  John  Marshall,  J.  C.  P.  Martin,  W. 
S.  McConnell,  Robert  McKnight,  T.  M.  Miller,  J.  F.  More- 
ton,  T.  N.  Moreton,  William  B.  Nesmith,  W.  J.  Pipkin, 
Lieutenant  E.  B.  Scott,  E.  M.  Scurry,  W.  S.  Wallace, 
Benjamin  Ward,  and  William  Wilson. 

The  Wee  Nee  Volunteers  were  stationed  at  Camp  Glover 
on  James  Island  and  participated  in  the  battle  of  Seces- 
sionville  on  June  16,  1862.  This  Company  left  James 
Island  on  December  14,  1862  and  were  transported  by 
railroad  to  Wilmington,  North  Carolina.  From  Wilming¬ 
ton  the  Company  was  ordered  to  Kinston.  On  reaching 
Magnolia  it  was  ordered  to  return  to  Wilmington,  where 
it  remained  in  barracks  until  December  31,  on  which  day 
it  left  for  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  and  was  again 
stationed  at  Camp  Glover.  The  officers  of  the  Company 
at  this  time  were  Captain  Thomas  J.  China,  First  Lieuten¬ 
ant  Calhoun  Logan,  Second  Lieutenant  Henry  Montgom¬ 
ery,  Jr.,  Third  Lieutenant  B.  P.  Brockinton.  Captain  China 
was  sick  from  July  13  until  the  end  of  the  year,  during 
which  time  the  Company  was  commanded  by  Lieutenant 
Logan.  The  inspecting  officer  on  James  Island  reported 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1862 


385 


on  the  Company  as  follows :  discipline,  good ;  instruction, 
very  good;  military  appearance,  very  fine;  arms,  good 
with  exception  of  a  few;  accoutrements,  good;  clothing, 
very  good. 

The  Tenth  Infantry  commanded  by  Colonel  A.  M.  Mani- 
gault  left  South  Island  on  March  31,  1862,  for  the  West, 
where  it  was  brigaded  with  three  Alabama  regiments  and 
commanded  by  Brigadier  General  Trapier  until  December 
1,  1862,  when  Colonel  Manigault  succeeded  him.  This 
Regiment  had  three  Williamsburg  companies  in  it  and 
the  other  companies  of  the  organization  contained  many 
Williamsburg  men.  On  May  2  this  Regiment  formed  the 
advance  guard  of  Beauregard’s  army  and  checked  the 
enemy  at  what  was  the  first  battle  of  Corinth.  In  August, 
General  Beauregard  was  sent  to  Charleston  and  General 
Bragg  commanded  the  Confederate  forces  in  the  vicinity 
of  Chattanooga.  The  Tenth  Regiment  formed  the  advance 
guard  of  General  Bragg’s  army  at  Munfordville  and  Perry  - 
ville.  After  Perrvville,  Bragg  returned  to  Knoxville  to 
rest  and  recuperate  his  army.  Then  he  recrossed  the 
mountains  and  was  attacked  by  General  Rosecrans  at 
Murfreesboro,  or  Stone’s  River,  on  December  31,  1862. 
In  this  battle  the  Tenth  Regiment  showed  great  valor  and 
a  large  number  of  its  men  were  killed  or  wounded.  As  a 
mark  of  especial  distinction,  this  Regiment  was  allowed 
to  retain  the  guns  that  it  had  captured  and  to  have  the 
names  of  the  men  of  the  Regiment  who  fell  inscribed  on 
them. 

However  much  the  Tenth  Infantry  suffered  from  battle 
during  1862,  its  losses  from  disease  far  exceeded  its  killed 
and  wounded.  It  is  difficult  for  one  to  understand  the 
losses  from  disease  that  occurred  during  the  summer  and 
fall.  Enterogastritis  seems  to  have  afflicted  nearly  all 
of  the  men  and  the  physicians  alternately  prescribed  blue 
mass  and  opium  pills  which  had  but  little  control  of  the 
condition.  The  men  ate  whatever  they  fancied  and  drank 


386 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


the  first  water  they  found.  Thirty-five  years  later  this 
country  was  considered  as  polluted  with  malignant  dis¬ 
ease  germs  when  so  many  of  the  soldiers  stationed  at 
Chickamauga  during  the  Spanish  American  War  died  of 
the  same  kind  of  diseases  that  had  taken  off  so  many  of 
the  Confederates. 

William  J.  Clarkson,  who  was  a  merchant  near  Lenud’s 
Ferry,  eniisted  in  Captain  Weston’s  Company  of  the  Tenth 
Regiment  when  it  was  organized  on  July  19,  1861.  Mr. 
Clarkson  was  the  great  grandson  of  Colonel  William 
Floyd,  one  of  the  signers  of  the  Declaration  of  Indepen¬ 
dence  and  a  representative  in  the  first  Congress  under  the 
United  States  Constitution.  Colonel  William  Floyd  was 
the  great  grandson  of  Richard  Floyd  and  his  wife,  Sus¬ 
annah,  who  in  1650  came  from  Brecknockshire  in  Wales  to 
Massachusetts  and  afterwards  settled  on  Long  Island. 
Thus,  it  will  he  seen  that  William  J.  Clarkson,  of  the 
Tenth  Regiment,  had  a  long  line  of  worthy  American 
blood.  He  was  educated  and  may  be  regarded  as  one  of 
the  highest  type  of  private  soldiers  in  the  Confederate 
Army.  Mr.  Clarkson  kept  a  diary  from  the  time  he  left 
South  Island  with  the  Tenth  Regiment  on  March  31,  1862 
until  he  was  severely  wounded  in  the  head  and  tempo¬ 
rarily  deprived  of  his  sight  at  Murfreesboro  on  Decem¬ 
ber  31,  1862.  This  diary  is  a  remarkable  piece  of  work.  From 
it  one  may  see  something  of  the  soul  of  the  soldier  of  the 
Tenth  Regiment  during  that  period.  These  quotations 
are  taken  from  this  diary. 

“March  31,  1862.  Up  very  early — got  breakfast — struck 
tents — then  left  for  Mount  Pleasant.  Marched  fifteen 
miles — this  is  a  pretty  place  to  camp — saw  some  pretty 
young  ladies — two  or  three  visited  our  camp  that  night. 

“April  6,  1862.  Went  to  Catholic  Church  this  morning 
— the  afternoon  to  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church — had 
inspection.  The  Colonel  spoke  to  the  Regiment  in  regard 
to  some  of  its  late  conduct. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1862 


387 


“ April  9,  1862.  Charleston  is  truly  a  mass  of  ruins. 
We  have  been  reviewed  by  General  Ripley.  He  appeared 
to  like  the  looks  of  the  Regiment  very  much. 

“April  11,  1862.  Left  Charleston  on  steamboats — 
landed  at  a  country  wharf — marched  through  the  city 
to  the  South  Carolina  Railroad — received  many  cheers  on 
our  way — tiresome  trip  to  Augusta — some  pretty  places 
on  the  way. 

“April  12,  1862.  Left  Augusta  for  Atlanta  and  arrived 
at  daylight. 

“April  14,  1862.  Took  breakfast  at  Dalton — liked  the 
place  very  much — ordered  to  return  in  consequence  of  the 
enemy  being  in  our  wav — take  the  back  track  for  Atlanta. 
On  our  way  to  Atlanta — we  again  turn  toward  Chatta¬ 
nooga. 

“April  15,  1862.  Again  we  receive  orders  to  return  to 
Atlanta — shifted  engines  in  Atlanta — many  of  us  were 
left — Colonel  Manigault  appeared  very  much  vexed.  At 
Newman  we  were  in  a  railroad  smash — one  was  killed 
and  twenty-eight  wounded. 

“April  17,  1862.  Ladies  request  to  have  a  dress  parade, 
so  the  Regiment  appeared  on  the  grounds  amidst  a  crowd. 
The  people  liked  it  very  much. 

“April  18,  1862.  Arrived  at  Montgomery — it  is  a  busi¬ 
ness  looking  place — eight  hundred  Yankee  prisoners  here. 
Two  ladies  sent  me  and  some  others  a  beautiful  bouquet 
with  their  best  wishes  for  our  success  and  for  safe  return. 
Left  Mobile  on  the  steamer  Saint  Nicholas. 

“April  19,  1862.  We  are  now  on  the  Alabama  River — 
the  scenery  is  quite  picturesque — arrived  at  Mobile  at 
one-thirtv  tonight. 

1/  o 

“April  20,  1862.  Billy  Gamble  and  myself  stole  out  of 
the  boat  and  went  up  into  the  city.  Like  the  looks  of 
things  very  much — some  very  fine  looking  places  and  pub¬ 
lic  houses,  postoffice,  custom  house,  and  others.  The 


388 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Bienville  Park  is  very  beautiful.  The  Battle  House  is 
the  finest  hotel  in  town. 

“April  21,  1862.  Ordered  to  leave  for  Corinth  at  four 
o’clock — expect  soon  to  see  the  enemy.  Our  Regiment  is 
truly  in  a  state  of  confusion  but  I  trust  all  things  will 
work  good  for  us  and  that  our  country  will  soon  be  at 
peace. 

“April  22,  1862.  Stopped  at  Whistler,  a  small  manu¬ 
facturing  place.  Ladies  with  bouquets  appear. 

“April  24,  1862.  Arrived  at  Corinth  at  five- thirty — 
looks  like  there  are  many  soldiers  here.  We  are  all  worn 
out  from  the  fatigue  of  travel,  having  been  on  the  road  for 
thirteen  days.  This  is  decidedly  the  filthiest  place  I 
ever  saw.  Nothing  can  be  procured  to  eat  for  love  nor 
money. 

“April  26,  1862.  I  looked  around  at  the  breastworks 
that  are  around  this  place.  It  appears  as  if  it  would  be 
impossible  for  the  enemy  to  come  in.  This  morning  I 
ate  one  hard  bread  for  dinner — this  is  what  I  call  hard 
fare.  After  tattoo  tonight  the  Regiment  met  at  the  Col¬ 
onel’s  headquarters  and  Chaplain  Capers  had  prayers. 
I  truly  hope  God  will  hear,  answer,  and  help  us. 

“April  27,  1862.  Again  partake  of  hard  bread  and 
bitter  coffee  for  breakfast — had  inspection  this  morn¬ 
ing.  I  believe  the  Sabbath  is  truly  a  day  of  rest — may  I 
do  nothing  today  that  I  shall  be  sorry  for  hereafter.  We 
received  better  rations  today — molasses,  flour,  coffee, 
sugar,  rice,  and  meat. 

“April  28,  1862.  I  went  down  to  the  spring  and  for 
the  first  time  tried  to  wash  a  few  clothes — find  it  rather 
difficult.  Various  reports  as  to  the  fall  of  New  Orleans 
are  current. 

“April  29,  1862.  Various  reports  about  the  camp — hear 
that  the  enemy  is  quite  near  but  I  do  not  believe  a  word 
I  hear. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1862 


389 


“April  30,  1862.  We  expect  an  attack  every  day — I 
hope  we  shall  be  prepared  to  give  the  enemy  a  warm 
reception.  Had  a  few  instructions  from  our  captain  as 
to  how  we  shall  act  and  aim  in  battle — ordered  to  cook 
three  days’  rations.  Noticed  the  Twenty-Eighth  Alabama 
Regiment  today.  Its  performance  was  very  poor. 

“May  31,  1862.  Ordered  to  march  at  four  o’clock  to¬ 
morrow  morning.  We  shall  no  doubt  soon  see  the  long 
looked  for  enemy  and  come  together.  If  so,  may  God  pro¬ 
tect  and  shield  us  from  danger. 

“Mav  2,  1862.  We  are  on  the  road  for  somewhere  but 
I  do  not  know  where.  Marched  ten  and  one  half  miles 
over  the  worst  road  I  ever  saw — remained  under  arms 
all  day — great  excitement  all  the  time.  After  dark  I  fell 
asleep,  the  ground  for  my  bed  and  the  starry  heavens 
for  my  covering. 

“May  5,  1862.  No  likelihood  of  anything  to  eat  this 
morning — clothes  still  wet. 

“May  6,  1862.  Drank  a  cup  of  molasses  and  water — 
this  kind  of  fare  is  not  very  pleasant — here  all  day  and 
nothing  to  eat. 

“May  7,  1862.  Many  reports  about  camp  as  to  peace, 
fighting,  armistice,  and  other  things. 

“May  8,  1862.  Company  being  reorganized  and  the 
government  is  holding  all  those  who  have  served  twelve 
months — very  unjust  I  think.  Four  o’clock  we  all 
marched  out  to  face  the  Yankees  on  the  road  to  Shiloh — 
some  of  our  men  fired  on  them — supposed  to  have  killed 
a  major — saw  his  horse  and  overcoat. 

“May  9,  1862.  After  a  few  hours  of  sleep  on  the  cold 
ground,  we  were  called  up  at  four- thirty — fell  in  but 
for  no  purpose — took  another  nap  leaning  against  a  tree — 
we  are  taken  back  to  camp  for  rations  and  find  we  will 
)e  out  of  them  for  two  days.  Nine  o’clock  we  are  again 
)n  the  road  for  Farmington — at  twelve  o’clock  we  opened 
i  rapid  fire  on  the  enemy.  We  were  in  open  field  in  full 


390 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


sight — feel  calmer  than  I  expected — three  o’clock  the 
firing  ceases — we  have  driven  the  Yankees  back  through 
the  field — saw  four  of  the  enemv  that  have  been  killed, 
awful  sight — truly  an  awful  sight  to  me  to  see  the  dead 
and  wounded  on  the  ground.  This  battle  is  considered 
to  be  a  great  victory.  We  have  accomplished  that  for 
which  we  went — to  burn  and  destroy  the  bridge  at  Farm¬ 
ington  to  cut  off  the  communication  of  the  enemv  from 
the  railroad. 

“May  15,  1862.  Over  to  the  Fifth  Georgia  Regiment 
this  evening — drank  a  quantity  of  beer — 100  a  cup.  Va¬ 
rious  reports  going  the  rounds — some  say  peace  and  some 
say  war.  My  trust  is  in  God. 

“May  19,  1862.  Our  surgeon  orders  no  one  to  come 
up  on  sick  list  who  is  suffering  from  colds  or  diarrhea. 
He  is  becoming  quite  harsh  in  his  practice.  Continual 
stir  in  camp. 

“May  20,  1862.  Very  sick  this  morning — very  much 
debilitated.  The  doctor  conies  to  see  me  at  ten  o’clock! 
and  prescribes  pills. 

“May  21,  1862.  Doctor  prescribes  pills  again.  Nothing 
else  of  interest. 

“May  23,  1862.  Expect  to  get  furlough  in  order  to 
recruit  my  health.  Had  a  letter  from  home  today — oh, 
that  God  may  protect  them  and  may  we  soon  meet  again, 
our  country  being  at  peace! 

“May  27,  1862.  The  thoughts  of  staying  at  this  hos¬ 
pital  make  me  sick.  Mr.  Harmon,  the  Methodist  preacher, 
carried  me  out  to  his  home.  The  Harmons  appear  to  be 
very  fine  but  plain  country  people. 

“June  5,  1862.  News  of  victory  in  Virginia — likeli¬ 
hood  of  England  and  France  interfering. 

“June  12,  1862.  Received  haversack  of  eatables  and 
bade  the  Harmons  goodbye.  I  can  never  forget  them  foi 
their  kindness — I  hope  God  will  bless  and  reward  them. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1862 


391 


“June  13,  1862.  Am  at  Jackson,  tlie  Capital  of  Missis¬ 
sippi — bought  essence  of  ginger — looked  at  pistols  being 
made — drank  beer — lay  about  in  the  dirt  all  day — bought 
milk  and  ate  snack — tried  to  get  off  on  passenger  train 
but  being  a  poor  soldier  could  not.  Ate  supper  and  at 

ten-thirty  we  were  all  crowded  into  box  cars  and  left 
*/ 

for  Meridian. 

“June  14,  1862.  Arrived  at  Meridian  at  seven  o’clock — 
looked  about  but  find  nothing  but  filth.  It  is  truly  tire¬ 
some  staying  about  these  one  horse  depots.  At  ten  o’clock 
all  aboard  on  filthy  box  cars  again — travelled  all  night. 

“June  15,  1862.  Still  on  the  road — detained  in  conse¬ 
quence  of  order  given — had  to  run  back  for  water — had 
a  car  smashed  on  our  train  and  had  to  leave  same — this 
way  of  treating  a  poor  soldier  is  a  shame — cars  again 
tonight. 

“June  IT,  1862.  Very  little  to  eat — we  have  to  cook 

* 

it  ourselves. 

“June  20,  1862.  Colonel  is  now  very  strict. 

“June  22,  1862.  On  sick  list — ate  a  piece  of  raw  meat 
and  raw  liver  for  breakfast — this  is  indeed  hard  living. 
This  holy  Sabbath  has  been  passed  with  little  advantage 
to  me — oh,  that  I  may  yet  be  allowed  the  privilege  of  enjoy¬ 
ing  this,  the  Lord’s  Day. 

“June  26,  1862.  Bade  farewell  to  the  sick  list  and  to 
our  quack  doctors — was  made  to  mark  time  for  going  to 
the  creek  for  water — something  new  to  me. 

“June  27,  1862.  Had  a  dress  parade  today — the  regi¬ 
ment  forming  a  square,  which  is  something  new. 

“June  28,  1862.  New  clothes  given  out  to  all  the  com¬ 
pany  for  common  use,  not  dress  parade.  The  Regiment 

looked  well  in  round  jackets  and  paiffcs  and  grey  caps. 

% 

“June  29,  1862.  Washed  and  put  on  clean  clothes — 
find  lice  on  my  undershirt.  Oh,  the  filth ! 

“July  7,  1862.  We  are  getting  it  rubbed  in  now. 


392 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


“July  9,  1862.  Reports  that  France  and  England  have 
recognized  our  independence  and  that  peace  will  soon  be 
declared. 

“July  14,  1862.  Lequex  and  I  took  walk  in  the  country 
— had  a  fine  dinner,  apple  dumplings — bought  a  sheep 
for  $12.00. 

“July  15,  1862.  Sheep  meat  for  breakfast — helped  on 
well. 

“July  19,  1862.  We  were  reviewed  by  Generals  Bragg, 
Withers,  Polk,  and  Hardee. 

“July  28,  1862.  Dreamed  of  peace  and  going  home — 
hope  it  will  all  come  to  pass — bought  some  cider — lost 
$100.00  at  a  raffle. 

“July  31,  1862.  On  the  cars — tiresome  travelling — no 
one  is  allowed  to  leave  the  cars  even  for  water,  but  I 
violated  orders  and  slept  all  night  on  the  top  of  a  car. 

“August  5,  1862.  Passed  many  ladies  and  received  their 
good  wishes  for  our  success — many  peaches  and  water¬ 
melons — stopped  at  Graniteville  and  got  a  fine  supper  at 
the  hotel. 

“August  6,  1862.  On  our  way  we  stopped  some  time  at 
Dalton  and  spent  the  night  at  Chickamauga,  twelve 
miles  below  Chattanooga. 

“August  7,  1862.  Again  see  nothing  but  filth  and  sol¬ 
diers — wrote  to  sister  and  gave  her  a  slight  description 
of  this  place. 

“August  12,  1862.  Ordered  to  wash  clothes  without 
soap.  This  is  another  unreasonable  order  which  I  do  not 
obey.  Dress  parade  and  a  perfect  botch  of  the  march  off 
the  field. 

“August  13,  1862.  Lequex,  McCants,  McNulty,  and 
Alexander,  and  I  walked  out  over  the  mountains  to  the 
country  to  various  houses  in  search  of  eatables.  At  last  we 
came  up  with  a  good  dinner.  We  went  to  another  house  and 
picked  some  fine  peaches. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1862 


393 


“August  18,  1862.  Rumor  is  very  current  that  we  re¬ 
turn  to  South  Carolina  but  of  course  it  is  false. 

“August  24,  1862.  Detailed  to  pull  corn — hot  work  but 
had  to  do  it — nothing  to  eat  but  two  ears  of  corn.  This 
is  what  I  call  hard  times. 

“September  14,  1862.  It  is  truly  no  good  and  quite 
hard  on  me  to  be  compelled  to  violate  the  holy  Sabbath 
washing  my  clothes,  but  it  is  now  three  weeks  since  I 
put  on  any  clean  clothes,  so  I  had  to  do  this,  it  being  my 
first  opportunity. 

“September  20,  1862.  Amused  at  lice  now. 

“September  24,  1862.  Bardstown,  Kentucky,  is  a  de¬ 
lightful  place  but  the  water  is  scarce.  Our  rations  have 
been  cut  down  again  to  one-half  pound  flour.  Three  of  us 
went  into  the  country  and  bought  some  peaches  from  a 
Lincolnite  and  ate  fine  dinner.  I  hear  that  Lincoln 
intends  to  free  all  the  negroes  on  January  first. 

“October  3,  1862.  Dr.  Graham  in  guard  house  on  ac¬ 
count  of  some  pumpkins.  I  cooked  and  ate  the  pumpkins. 

“October  12,  1862.  No  enemy  yet,  thank  God.  God 
has  been  merciful  to  us  all.  Went  up  to  the  house  and 
got  rations  of  whiskey.  The  General  and  all  hands 
‘full.’ 

“October  18,  1862.  Marched  eighteen  miles — stopped 
at  a  creek — got  rations  of  beef  and  half  pound  flour. 
Washed  face  and  hands  for  the  first  time  in  over  a  week. 
Cooked  my  bread  over  top  of  an  old  lantern. 

“October  21,  1862.  Passed  through  the  Cumberland 
Gap — saw  the  corner  stone  of  Kentucky,  Virginia,  and 
Tennessee. 

“October  22,  1862.  Was  amused  at  a  soldier  in  a  gar¬ 
den.  The  owner  shot  at  him  and  the  soldier  ran  out  very 
rapidly.  Rations  of  corn  two  ears  to  the  man. 

“November  5,  1862.  Feel  very  sick,  no  money,  no 
friends,  in  hospital  all  day.  It  is  truly  distressing  to 
see  the  suffering  at  these  hospitals. 


394 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


“November  8,  1862.  Sergeant  Huckaby  loaned  me  $2.00 
— quite  a  friendly  act. 

“November  28,  1862.  Sam  Nesmith  loaned  me  his 
shoes  and  socks. 

“November  29,  1862.  Dr.  Isaac  Graham  went  to  Murf¬ 
reesboro  and  was  accepted  by  the  board  as  surgeon  of 
the  Twenty-Sixth  Alabama  Regiment. 

.  “November  30,  1862.  Lieutenant  White  arrived  and 
brought  our  boxes  from  home.  Judge  and  I  went  to 
the  creek,  washed,  put  on  clean  clothes,  and  then  we  ate 
a  hearty  meal  of  butter,  hominy,  ham,  cake,  and  other 
things. 

“December  5,  1862.  Colonel  Pressley  and  staff  now  en¬ 
gaging  in  snow  balling  but  it  was  too  cold  for  me.  I 
stay  by  the  fire.  I  stayed  up  until  after  midnight  to  see 
the  moon  in  total  eclipse. 

“December  13,  1862.  Was  reviewed  on  field  about 
four  miles  beyond  Murfreesboro  by  President  Davis,  Gen¬ 
eral  Bragg,  and  others.  Our  division  alone  was  reviewed. 
This  has  truly  been  a  day  of  interest,  having  seen  the  Presi¬ 
dent  of  the  Confederate  States. 

“December  19,  1862.  Was  compelled  to  see  a  poor  man 
of  the  Twenty-Eighth  Alabama  Regiment  shot  for  de¬ 
sertion — had  twenty-eight  guns  fired  at  him — it  was  a 
cruel  thing. 

“December  20,  1862.  Two  years  today  since  the  seces 
sion  of  South  Carolina — drew  knapsack,  and  ate  a  heart} 
dinner.  I  hear  that  the  enemy  is  evacuating  Nashville 
that  Captain  Weston  has  been  elected  Lieutenant  Gov 
ernor  of  South  Carolina,  and  there  is  much  talk  of  peace 

“December  25,  1862.  Clear  and  pleasant — this  is  thi 
first  Christmas  for  me  in  the  army — ate  breakfast  an( 
reported  at  headquarters — wrote  all  day — very  busy— 
wrote  orders  to  have  two  men  shot  tomorrow.  What  t 
Christmas ! 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1862 


395 


“December  28,  1862.  Formed  a  line  of  battle  waiting 
for  the  enemy. 

“December  29,  1862.  About  ten  o’clock  the  pickets 
begin  to  fight  and  then  we  engaged  the  enemy.  Tim  Har¬ 
rison  was  killed. 

“December  30,  1862.  Almost  continuous  fighting  for 
twenty-four  hours. 

“December  31,  1862.  Battle  still  rages  hot  and  heavy. 
The  Tenth  Regiment  is  ordered  to  advance  and  charge. 
We  repulsed  the  enemy  but  they  came  back  again.  I  was 
wounded — shot  through  the  right  eye  and  soon  got  off 
to  the  rear  to  the  hospital.  The  wound  is  very  painful.” 

The  War  in  1862  did  not  look  to  the  folks  at  home  like 
it  did  in  1861.  In  1862,  everybody  realized  that  every 
energy  must  be  utilized  to  win.  Volunteering  in  the  first 
part  of  1861  was  an  easy  matter.  It  was  a  serious  step 
in  1862.  A  letter  to  the  Courier  of  March  3,  1862,  begins 
as  follows :  “As  a  daughter  of  Carolina  and  of  the  Tow 
country,’  I  write  to  beg  that  you  will  again  appeal  to  our 
men.  With  dismay  and  grief,  I  learn  that  in  Charleston 
it  has  been  necessary  to  draft.”  The  letter  continues  in 
the  most  appealing  feminine  manner.  In  Williamsburg, 
practically  every  man  was  a  volunteer.  There  were, 
however,  a  few  who  attempted  to  remain  at  home.  These 
were  shown  at  once  in  no  uncertain  terms  by  the  women 
that  their  place  was  on  the  field.  If  a  man  did  not  heed 
the  warning  of  the  women,  the  old  men,  using  stern 
measures,  soon  made  him  look  for  the  battle  line. 

In  the  spring  of  1862,  the  people  of  Williamsburg 
planted  all  they  could,  and  the  slaves  labored  with  in¬ 
creased  zeal  when  they  saw  how  “ole  Massa”  and  “ole 
Missus”  were  working  to  send  things  to  “young  Massa” 
in  “de  wah.”  The  slaves  showed  a  loyalty  to  their  masters 
all  during  the  War  that  appeals  most  forcibly  to  a  man. 
All  war  time  there  was  an  abundance  of  foodstuffs  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg. 


396 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


The  plantations  were  searched  for  everything  that 
could  he  used  bv  the  Confederate  Government.  This  letter 
was  published  by  the  Mercury :  “Indiantown,  S.  C., 
March  29,  1862.  Richard  Yeadon,  Esq.  Dear  Sir:  I 
have  this  day  sent  to  you  by  the  Northeastern  Railway 
about  forty  pounds  of  lead  and  brass  of  my  own,  and 
fourteen  pounds  for  Mrs.  Isabelle  Garland,  for  the  use  of 
the  government.  Also,  four  patchwork  quilts  from  four 
ladies  of  Williamsburgh,  to  be  raffled  or  sold  and  the 
money  applied  to  the  ladies’  gunboat,  Palmetto  State. 
Very  respectfully,  W.  J.  B.  Cooper.” 

From  the  captain  commanding  came  this  letter  to  the 
Mercury :  “I  beg  space  to  return  thanks  of  the  Wee 
Nee  Volunteers  to  Mrs.  J.  F.  Brockinton  and  to  the  ladies 
of  the  Elon  Church  Soldiers’  Aid  Association  for  valuable 
contributions  of  clothing  and  blankets.  These  substantial 
evidences  of  the  regard  and  sympathy  of  the  ladies  of 
our  native  district  have  been  gratefully  received;  and  to 
be  as  brave  in  the  defense  of  them  and  their  homes  as  they 
are  untiring  in  their  efforts  to  serve  us  shall  be  our  aim.” 

J.  M.  Thomas,  of  Myersville,  was  collector  of  Confeder¬ 
ate  War  taxes  in  Williamsburg  during  1862.  The  ap¬ 
pointments  to  the  Citadel  that  year  were  B.  S.  Nesmith 
and  Thomas  McCutclien.  The  Methodist  circuit  riders 
in  the  district  were  the  Reverends  John  W.  Murrav  and 

V 

Henry  J.  Morgan.  The  Reverend  W.  A.  Hemingway 
was  chaplain  of  the  Twenty-First  Infantry  in  the  field  and 
the  Reverend  Jeremiah  J.  Snow,  chaplain  of  the  Sixth 
Infantry. 


CHAPTER  XXIX 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1863. 

District  officers,  as  agreed  to  by  the  Legislature  at  its 
late  session,  for  Williamsburg  District  in  1863,  were :  Mag¬ 
istrates,  Samuel  W.  Maurice  and  R.  G.  Ferrell ;  Commis¬ 
sioners  of  Free  Schools,  W.  G.  Gamble,  W.  P.  Nesmith, 
S.  C.  McCutchen,  D.  D.  Wilson,  and  J.  A.  McCullough; 
Commissioners  of  Public  Security,  Dr.  James  S.  Brockin- 
ton,  John  E.  Scott,  W.  J.  Goodivin,  J.  A.  Salters,  and  J.  A. 
McCullough;  Commissioners  of  Roads,  Andrew  Jayroe, 
S.  T.  Cooper,  J.  A.  Hemingway,  W.  G.  McKnight,  J.  J. 
M.  Graham,  B.  P.  Brockinton,  S.  A.  Douglas,  W.  C. 
Barr,  J.  D.  Singletary,  J.  E.  Fulton,  R.  J.  Eaddy,  E.  H. 
Britton,  J.  E.  Scott,  D.  Z.  Martin,  J.  W.  Keels,  H.  Sauls, 
John  Lequex,  Sr.,  S.  McBride  Scott,  J.  P.  Mouzon,  J. 
M.  Speights,  W.  R.  Rodgers,  F.  W.  Boyd,  Edmund  Bax¬ 
ley,  W.  M.  Campbell,  W.  H.  Cockfield,  H.  G.  Gaskins, 
Reuben  Jordan,  James  Maxwell,  J.  A.  Nixon,  G.  K.  Mc¬ 
Donald,  and  W.  J.  Haselden,  Sr. ;  Dr.  J.  F.  Brockinton 
was  collector  of  Confederate  War  taxes  and  W.  G.  Gamble 
was  assessor. 

Mr.  F.  W.  Mackusie  ran  a  stage  line  between  George¬ 
town  and  Kingstree.  He  carried  the  mails.  It  was  said 
that  the  road  from  Kingstree  to  Georgetown  was  far 
better  than  the  old  stage  road  from  Gourdins. 

The  Reverend  W.  A.  Hemingway,  post  chaplain  of  the 
General  Hospital  of  the  Fourth  Military  District,  lo¬ 
cated  at  Georgetown,  asks  through  the  Courier  for 
donations  of  poultry,  eggs,  syrup,  potatoes,  hops,  and 
other  things  for  the  hospital.  He  states  the  hospital 
would  furnish  transportation  for  anything  left  at  Kings¬ 
tree  with  John  E.  Scott  or  with  J.  A.  Hemingway  at 
Cooper’s  Store. 


398 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


In  1863,  Williamsburg  soldiers  participated  in  all  of 
the  great  battles  fought  between  the  Confederate  and 
Union  armies,  and  its  losses  in  killed  and  wounded  were 
heavy.  These  fell  at  Chancellorsville,  May  24 :  killed, 
Reuben  Ard,  Oliver  Baxley,  John  J.  Brown,  Palvey  T. 
Stone,  and  Wiliam  J.  Wilson;  wounded,  E.  V.  Gaskins, 
W.  L.  Graham,  E.  H.  Johnson,  William  McCallister. 

These  were  wounded  at  the  Rappahannock,  May  12 : 
Lieutenant  William  Haselden,  J.  H.  Barnes,  O.  W.  Bax¬ 
ley,  E.  H.  Johnson,  A.  B.  Marsh,  J.  J-  Brown,  P.  T.  Stone, 
L.  Buckles,  A.  M.  Gaskins,  S.  W,  Koon;  and  these  killed, 
W.  J.  Wilson,  William  Brown,  R.  Ard,  and  William 
Duke. 

At  Gettysburg,  July  1-3,  the  casualities  were,  killed: 
John  Ard,  John  Floyd,  J.  Cleveland  Cockfield,  Frank 
Cox,  John  F.  Eaddy,  J.  G.  Gist,  Francis  Lenerieux; 
wounded,  Lieutenant  M.  O.  Timmons,  F.  N.  Lenerieux, 
T.  J.  Burrows,  W.  D.  L.  Abrams,  J.  B.  Carter,  D.  W. 
Cribb,  J.  F.  Eaddy,  H.  A.  Poston,  J.  L.  Venters,  Abram 
Willis,  John  B.  Carter. 

These  killed  and  wounded  at  Battery  Wagner,  Septem¬ 
ber  3-7 :  killed,  Nelson  Dennis,  S.  R.  Dennis,  J.  F.  Kirby, 
S.  D.  Lamb,  E.  Lynch,  Lieutenant  S.  N.  McDonald,  Lieu¬ 
tenant  H.  J.  Montgomery,  Henry  Ragin;  wounded,  G.  F. 
McClary,  J.  J.  Jaudon,  W.  H.  McConnell,  J.  J.  Baggett, 
S.  R.  Dennis,  J.  F.  Montgomery,  S.  M.  China,  J.  G.  Player, 
E.  Ard,  B.  Ard,  J.  F.  McClary,  W.  H.  Parsons,  J.  B. 
Miller,  S.  W.  Browder,  W.  E.  James,  W.  M.  McKnight, 
J.  F.  Scott,  B.  M.  Guess,  E.  G.  Ard,  H.  M.  Pressley,  E. 
S.  Ellis,  Captain  W.  B.  Gordon,  E.  R.  Lesesne,  J.  H. 
Lamb,  S.  G.  Cooper,  S.  T.  Player,  J.  T.  Player,  George 
Martin,  George  Terrey,  J.  A.  Bradham,  A.  B.  Cooper, 
D.  J.  Jaudon,  C.  Lesesne,  J.  H.  Lamb,  P.  N.  Altman,  L. 
Player,  J.  E.  Scott,  T.  J.  China. 

At  Chickamauga,  September  20,  1863,  Williamsburg’s 
losses  were,  killed:  C.  T.  Altman,  Isaac  B.  Cook,  Wash- 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1863 


399 


ington  Collins,  Daniel  Fenters,  Nathaniel  Fenters,  T. 
H.  Gibbons,  John  A.  Graham,  M.  C.  Langston,  J.  R.  Miles, 
Pleasant  Matthews,  Nathaniel  Nesmith,  Arthur  B.  Scip- 
per;  wounded:  Thomas  A.  Matthews,  D.  M.  Cook,  G. 

L.  Ellis,  S.  S.  Guild,  Solomon  Hennesy,  J.  McLawhorn, 
William  C.  Ogburn,  E.  T.  Porter,  Thomas  Altman,  Paul 
W.  Johnson,  William  Laney,  John  C.  Laws,  Lieutenant 
A.  Poston,  Lieutenant  E.  S.  Sauls,  S.  Kirby,  J.  Brogdon, 
W.  H.  Poston,  B.  D.  Poston,  C.  B.  Foxsworth,  S.  D.  Smith, 
H.  Matthews,  M.  Jones,  P.  McGee,  A.  C.  Osborn,  J.  W. 
Moore,  C.  T.  Altman,  W.  D.  Coleman,  D.  W.  Johnson, 
William  Lenerieux,  James  McCall,  James  Middleton,  G. 
W.  Scipper,  John  Rodgers,  J.  J.  Huggins,  R.  B.  Giles, 
J.  F.  Brockinton,  J.  Price,  R.  Collins,  Rix  A.  Coward, 
James  A.  Coward. 

At  Chattanooga,  November  23,  were,  killed:  James 

M.  Johnson,  James  H.  Smith,  Benjamin  Ward. 

At  Missionary  Ridge,  November  25,  were,  killed :  Har¬ 
vey  Barfield,  Jesse  Floyd,  W.  H.  Poston;  wounded:  Louis 
H.  Pipkin,  Louis  E.  Burket;  and  a  large  number  of  men 
were  here  captured,  some  of  whom  were:  M.  M.  Brave- 
boy,  John  M.  Brown,  Eric  Cain,  John  J.  Huggins,  John 
McKnight,  Harvey  Matthews.  Pleasant  McGhee,  and  E. 
C.  Osborn. 

It  is  most  pathetic  to  remember  that  in  all  these  ter¬ 
rible  battles  of  Chickamauga,  Chattanooga,  Missionary 
Ridge,  and  the  others  that  had  preceded  them,  Williams¬ 
burg  soldiers  were  equipped  only  with  smooth  bore  rifles, 
while  their  enemies  had  an  abundance  of  Enfields.  How 
these  men  went  into  battle  with  such  fearful  odds  against 
them  reveals  their  heroic  character.  Until  after  the 
battle  of  Franklin,  the  Tenth  Regiment,  except  Captain 
Weston’s  Company  A,  which  he  equipped  with  Enfields 
out  of  his  own  pocket,  had  only  smooth  bore  rifles  with 
which  to  fight  men  armed  with  the  best  weapons  of  the  age. 


400 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


These  soldiers  of  Williamsburg  died  of  disease  in  1863 : 
J.  A.  Arnett,  J.  E.  Barrineau,  W.  J.  Blakely,  T.  W 
Blakely,  John  W.  Calder,  A.  J.  Cook,  E.  W.  Cook,  J.  T. 
Cox,  J.  J.  Fillyaw,  E.  A.  Flowers,  J.  B.  Flowers,  L.  D. 
Floyd,  W.  J.  Gamble,  Andrew  P.  Flagler,  G.  W.  Graham, 
A.  Gray,  J.  P.  Davis,  W.  S.  Hardick,  A.  J.  Hatchell,  Jas¬ 
per  Hatchell,  J.  N.  Hatchell,  T.  H.  Hatchell,  M.  J.  E. 
Hixon,  W.  Hodge,  G.  W.  Johnson,  A.  Jones,  M.  Jones,  J. 
M.  Lacey,  A.  R.  Lee,  D.  Lee,  William  C.  Lee,  J.  A.  Lee,  W. 
C.  Lee,  J.  W.  Lee,  J.  H.  Lee,  A.  Lynch,  J.  M.  Lynch,  Robert 
Matthews,  H.  H.  Matthews,  A.  Matthews,  M.  Matthews, 
G.  W.  Matthews,  F.  Matthews,  Pleasant  Matthews,  R.  M. 
Matthews,  J.  C.  McGee,  S.  Miles,  C.  H.  Mitchum,  S.  J. 
Nettles,  N.  G.  Parker,  G.  W.  Reed,  John  L.  Scott,  E.  M. 
Scurry,  James  Sauls,  J.  H.  Smith,  R.  Spring,  Benjamin 
Ward,  George  C.  Wheeler,  T.  H.  Wilkes. 

It  was  during  the  three  days  fierce  fighting  at  Battery 
Wagner  that  Junius  E.  Scott  performed  feats  of  valor 
for  which  he  was  given  a  commission  as  lieutenant  and 
presented  with  a  sword  by  General  Hagood.  Young  Scott 
had  volunteered  at  sixteen  years  of  age  in  Captain  Col- 
clough’s  company,  but  was  sent  home  after  a  few  months 
on  account  of  the  enforcement  of  the  law  against  receiv¬ 
ing  volunteers  under  eighteen.  He  then  went  to  Wofford 
College  until  he  could  again  re-enlist,  when  he  joined  Cap¬ 
tain  China’s  Wee  Nee  Volunteers.  At  Battery  Wagner, 
young  Scott  carried  messages  from  Fort  Wagner  to  Fort 
Gregg  during  the  long  drawn  out  battling.  It  was  for 
his  heroism  in  these  things  that  he  was  cited  for  valor 
and  commissioned.  He  was  again  cited  for  valor  in  the 
Virginia  campaign  of  the  Twenty-Fifth  South  Carolina 
Regiment. 

S.  I.  Montgomery  was  promoted  from  Sergeant  to  Lieu¬ 
tenant  September  19,  1863.  After  Lieutenant  McDonald 
had  been  killed,  Lieutenant  E.  R.  Lesesne  was  promoted 
and  Charles  Lesesne  succeeded  him  as  Lieutenant  on  Sep- 


LIEUT.  JUNIUS  E.  SCOTT,  C.  S.  A 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1863 


401 


tember  14,  1863.  On  this  date  the  three  lieutenants  of 
Company  K,  Twenty-Fifth  Infantry,  were  all  Lesesnes. 

On  the  Muster  Roll  of  Company  E,  Tenth  Infantry,  of 
October  31,  1863,  Captain  Anderson  made  this  simple 
endorsement :  “On  the  afternoon  of  the  seventeenth,  we 
took  up  line  of  march  for  the  field  of  Chickamauga,  in  the 
battle  of  which  the  company  took  part,  as  is  shown  from 
the  list  of  killed  and  wounded.”  The  Company  was 
then  at  the  foot  of  Missionary  Ridge.  After  the  battle  of 
Chattanooga,  this  Company  had  only  eleven  men  fit  for 
duty. 

E.  S.  Sauls  was  promoted  to  Second  Lieutenant  March 
13,  1863.  Lieutenant  W.  J.  M.  Lee  succeeded  Captain 
Nettles  in  command  of  Company  H,  Tenth  Regiment. 

Colonel  A.  M.  Manigault,  of  the  Tenth  Infantry,  was 
promoted  to  Brigadier  General  in  July  1863,  and  Lieu¬ 
tenant  Colonel  James  F.  Pressley  was  promoted  Colonel 
and  succeeded  him  as  commanding  officer  of  the  Tenth. 
Colonel  Pressley  commanded  the  Tenth  and  the  Nine¬ 
teenth  Regiments  of  South  Carolina  Infantry  at  Chicka¬ 
mauga. 

In  the  fall  of  1863,  all  white  males  between  the  ages  of 
eighteen  and  forty-five  years  of  age  “who  have  furnished 
substitutes  in  the  Confederate  States  Army,  resident 
aliens,  and  others  who  have  avoided  conscription  by  reason 
of  civil  employment,  contract  or  engagement”  were  re¬ 
quired  to  report  to  the  military  authorities  for  forming 
regiments  for  state  service.  All  men  between  ages  of  six¬ 
teen  and  eighteen  and  forty-five  and  sixty  were  also  re¬ 
quired  to  enlist  in  these  regiments  to  “repel  threatened 
raids  of  the  enemy  within  this  State.” 

On  December  5,  1863,  the  following  members  of  the 
Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Church  were  dismissed  by 
order  of  Harmony  Presbytery  for  the  purpose  of  organ¬ 
izing  Union  Presbyterian  Church :  Ann  Lifrage,  Mary 
A.  Lifrage,  W.  J.  J.  Lifrage,  C.  R.  Montgomery,  J.  S. 


402 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Lifrage,  J.  M,  Shaw,  Sarah  A.  Gordon,  J.  W.  Gordon, 
Margaret  P.  Frierson,  Sargh  Frierson,  Sarah  M.  Gordon, 
Jane  M.  Salters,  Mary  E.  Salters,  John  Watson,  M.  E. 
Watson,  J.  A.  Salters,  M.  I.  Rodgers,  D.  E.  Gordon, 
W.  B.  Gordon,  W.  F.  Rodgers,  W.  J.  Montgomery,  Ed¬ 
ward  McDonald,  Mary  McClary,  Hester  McDonald,  M. 
E.  McClary,  Daniel  Barrinean,  T.  M.  Lifrage,  H.  D.  Shaw. 
The  following  colored  persons  were  also  dismissed  to 
join  Union  Church:  Pompey,  belonging  to  W.  F.  Rod¬ 
gers;  and  Peggy  Ann,  belonging  to  J.  A.  Salters. 

After  these  members  of  the  Williamsburg  Presbyte¬ 
rian  Church  had  withdrawn,  and  among  them  Elders  H. 
D.  Shaw  and  John  A.  Salters,  S.  J.  Bradley  was  the 
only  elder  in  the  Williamsburg  Church.  About  this  time, 
the  Reverend  D.  M.  McClure  became  minister  of  the  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Church,  which  he  served  for  two  years. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1864. 

When  one  understands  the  almost  superhuman  vene¬ 
ration  that  has  always  “hedged  about”  ministers  of  the 
gospel  in  Williamsburg  and  this  “low  country,”  and  reads 
the  following  extract  from  an  editorial  in  the  Charleston 
Courier  of  January  19,  1864,  he  will  obtain  some  faint 
suggestion  of  the  intensity  of  existing  feeling  that  this 
country  should  do  its  utmost  to  win  the  war. 

c/ 

This  editorial  begins:  “The  propriety  of  conscripting 
the  ministers  has  been  discussed.  We  think  it,  first  of  all, 
very  doubtful  whether  there  is  any  need  for  the  extension 
of  the  conscription  as  to  ages  or  classes.  We  firmly  be¬ 
lieve  that  a  faithful  enforcement  of  the  original  con¬ 
scription  from  eighteen  to  forty-five  years,  with  the  dis¬ 
continuance  of  substitution,  unless  in  special  cases,  to 
be  decided  not  by  the  amount  of  money  nor  the  position 
of  influence  of  the  conscript,  but  on  just  discrimination 
and  sound  discretion  before  a  competent  board,  would 
give  us  an  army  sufficient  and  efficient,  if  properly  or¬ 
ganized,  disciplined,  and  managed.  We  see  all  around 
us  not  occasions  for  new  laws,  but  urgent  occasions  for 
the  faithful  execution  of  extant  laws.”  The  editorial 
continues,  favoring  ministers  and  all  other  able  bodied 
men  enlisting  in  combat  units. 

South  Carolina  sustained  a  great  loss  when  Captain 
the  Honorable  Plowden  C.  J.  Weston  died  of  consumption 
on  January  25,  1864.  He  was  captain  of  Company  A, 
Tenth  Regiment,  in  which  were  many  soldiers  from  along 
the  Santee  in  Williamsburg.  He  equipped  his  company 
at  his  own  expense  according  to  the  latest  and  most  ap¬ 
proved  designs  both  in  clothing  and  arms,  and  his  company 
was  the  only  unit  in  the  regiment  reasonably  well  armed 
until  the  time  of  his  death.  Captain  Weston  was  born  in 


404 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


England  while  his  parents,  from  the  oldest  families  in 
Georgetown,  were  spending  the  summer  in  the  old  home 
of  the  family  in  the  “Mother  Country/’  Exposure  incident 
to  his  military  service  in  the  Western  campaign  under 
General  Bragg  caused  his  death.  He  was  Lieutenant 
Governor  of  South  Carolina  and  had  come  home  to  preside 
over  the  Senate  of  1863  when  stricken. 

The  reaction  from  the  Confederate  losses  in  1863  came 
earlv  in  1864  on  economic  conditions.  Confederate  cur- 

c 

rency  began  to  depreciate.  The  newspapers  in  Charleston 
said  on  Mav  28  that  thev  could  receive  bills  onlv  at  actual 
current  valuation,  one-third  discount,  stating  they  had 
deferred  this  action  for  some  weeks  after  these  bills  had 
ceased  to  pass  at  par. 

The  prices  of  articles  in  Kingstree  at  that  time  may 
be  realized  from  the  following:  Sugar,  $5.00  per  pound; 
flour,  $1.00;  cotton,  $1.00;  cotton  cards,  $75.00  per  pair; 
tobacco,  $6.00.  On  July  6,  at  Mrs.  Belser’s  sale,  a  large 
iron  pot  brought  $105.00;  an  oven,  $95.00;  and  a  match 
of  horses,  thirteen  years  old,  $3,100.00.  At  the  close  of 
the  year,  Mrs.  McGill  purchased  some  articles  and  here 
is  her  bill :  4  yards  homespun,  $24.00 ;  1  spool  cotton, 

$3.00;  1  skein  black  flax,  $3.00;  1  lead  pencil,  $3.00;  2 
slate  pencils,  $3.00;  1  cake  soap,  $3.00;  1  dozen  horn  but¬ 
tons,  $1.50;  2  bunches  yarn,  No.  8,  $140.00;  3  bunches 
yarn.  No.  9,  $210.00.  About  the  same  time,  Dr.  McGill 
bought  4  drinks  of  whiskey,  wine  glass  size,  $20.00,  and  2 
bottles  apple  brandy,  $140.00.  (These  price  lists  were 
taken  from  Dr.  McGill’s  Reminiscences  of  Williamsburg.) 

This  year  the  fields  of  Williamsburg  brought  forth 
abundantly  and  at  the  harvest  time  all  its  barns  were 
overflowing.  Notwithstanding  conditions  incident  to  the 
deflation  of  currency,  the  defeats  in  Virginia  and  Tennes¬ 
see  and  Georgia,  and  the  sorrow  coming  from  the  death 
of  so  many  valiant  young  men,  Williamsburg’s  old  men, 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1864 


405 


its  women,  and  its  slaves  labored  with  that  Scotch-Irish 
intensity  that  always  comes  out  of  emergency. 

An  independent  company,  which  was  organized  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  and  Georgetown  Districts  on  November  5,  1862, 
for  state  service,  and  commanded  by  Captain  W.  N.  Y. 
Rodgers,  was  on  March  11,  1864  reorganized  and  mustered 
into  the  Confederate  service.  This  company  was  known 
as  Captain  Steele’s  company  and  played  a  considerable 
part  in  the  history  of  this  low  country  from  its  organi¬ 
zation  until  the  end  of  the  War.  Here  is  its  roll  of  March 
11,  1864:  J.  J.  Steele,  captain;  J.  M.  Kennedy,  first  lieu¬ 
tenant;  N.  H.  Welch,  second  lieutenant;  T.  S.  Steele, 
second  lieutenant;  J.  H.  Fulmore,  first  sergeant;  E. 
Kirby,  second  sergeant;  G.  W.  Mills,  third  sergeant;  E. 

E.  Matthews,  fourth  sergeant;  James  Floyd,  fifth  ser¬ 
geant;  J.  M.  Woods,  first  corporal;  R.  Epps,  second  cor¬ 
poral  ;  C.  W.  McClam,  third  corporal. 

Privates:  E.  Baxley,  42;  J.  M.  Bass,  38;  R.  A.  Buck- 
els,  26 ;  J.  H.  Byrd,  44 ;  J.  D.  Byrd,  44 ;  J.  F.  Butler,  33 ; 
H.  O.  Britton,  18;  S.  Cooper,  38;  S.  Caselman,  40;  W. 

F.  Cox,  20;  M.  M.  Cook,  43;  W.  A.  Deffee,  17;  C.  W. 
DuBose,  25;  J.  J.  Floyd,  42;  J.  W.  Grayson,  20;  John 
S.  Graham,  18;  H.  G.  Gaskins,  38;  J.  Gore,  42;  J.  E. 
Howard,  19;  A.  W.  Hardee,  28;  W.  Jefferson,  39;  R.  J. 
Jordan,  37;  W.  H.  Kennedy,  38;  W.  T.  Kennedy,  17; 
D.  P.  Kirby,  28;  J.  F.  Kirby,  19;  H.  Lenud,  43;  J.  Lee, 
19;  W.  J.  Lay,  17;  W.  E.  Jones,  23;  S.  A.  Long,  27;  J. 
Long,  26 ;  W.  Matthews,  37 ;  J.  R.  Matthews,  E.  E. 
Moore,  38;  B.  C.  Moore,  37 ;  J.  P.  Moore,  30;  J.  B.  Mont¬ 
gomery,  23;  J.  T.  Morse,  19;  S.  M.  McClam,  44;  W. 
McClam,  18;  G.  D.  McCutchen,  40;  W.  C.  McCutchen, 
20;  William  E.  Nesmith,  23;  J.  Powell,  40;  W.  R.  Pow¬ 
ell,  42;  W.  K.  Parker,  40;  T.  E.  Patrick,  17;  S.  R.  Rod¬ 
gers,  43 ;  B.  F.  Singletary,  42 ;  E.  J.  Singletary,  39 ;  M. 
M.  Sellers,  22;  K.  Smith,  17;  J.  E.  Thomas,  42;  J.  C. 
Thomas,  37 ;  M.  D.  Turbeville,  42 ;  J.  T.  Y areen,  24. 


406 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Williamsburg’s  battle  losses  in  1864  were  fearful.  Cap¬ 
tain  China,  commanding  Kingstree’s  Own,  the  Wee  Nee 
Volunteers,  was  killed  on  May  16,  at  Drury’s  Bluff. 
Lieutenant  F.  J.  Lesesne  was  killed  at  Swift  Creek  May 
9th.  Captain  W.  B.  Gordon,  commanding  the  Ripley 
Guards,  the  Pride  of  the  Santee,  was  killed  at  the  Weldon 
Railway.  Lieutenant  W.  H.  Munnerlin  was  killed  at  At¬ 
lanta  on  July  30th.  Colonel  James  F.  Pressley,  who  had 
been  acting  as  Brigadier  General  for  more  than  a  year 
was  severely  wounded  at  Atlanta.  His  brother,  Lieu¬ 
tenant  Colonel  John  G.  Pressley,  easily  favorite  hero  of 
all  Williamsburg,  was  so  severely  wounded  at  Walthall 
Junction  on  May  5th  that  his  right  arm  hung  limp  by* 
his  side  the  remainder  of  his  life.  Lieutenant  Calhoun 
Logan  and  Ensign  J.  M.  Pendergrass  were  wounded  at 
Drury’s  Bluff ;  Lieutenant  Charles  Lesesne  at  Swift  Creek ; 
Lieutenants  Thomas  J.  Kirby  and  E.  S.  Sauls  at  Atlanta; 
Lieutenant  Junius  E.  Scott  at  Weldon  Railway;  Lieuten¬ 
ants  R.  A.  Flagler  and  R.  S.  Smith  at  Fort  Harrison; 
Lieutenant  T.  G.  Britton  at  Haw’s  Shop;  Lieutenant  T. 
M.  Britton  at  Franklin;  Lieutenant  T.  M.  McCutchen 
at  Trevillian;  Lieutenant  T.  S.  Nelson  at  Haw’s  Shop. 

Here  is  a  list  of  Williamsburg’s  losses  in  1864 : 

Wilderness,  May  5:  killed,  William  McCullough  and 
A.  M.  Gaskins;  wounded,  D.  L.  Brown,  J.  M.  Graham, 
W.  L.  Graham,  John  Matthews. 

Walthall  Junction,  May  6:  killed,  John  Ard,  E.  Brow¬ 
der,  John  Davis,  W.  D.  Duke,  T.  M.  Lifrage,  J.  G.  Player; 
wounded,  Lieutenant  Colonel  John  G.  Pressley,  Captain 
T.  J.  China,  H.  G.  Nelson,  John  Pelt,  W.  E.  Mitchum, 
Sam  Mitchum,  C.  W.  Matthews,  E.  Ard,  W.  R.  Burdick, 
W.  Dennis,  D.  Manton  McClary. 

Swift  Creek,  May  9:  killed,  I.  Ard,  J.  L.  Barthley, 
E.  B.  Bentley,  W.  R.  Burdick,  E.  Browder,  J.  E.  Cub- 
stead,  J.  Davis,  D.  I.  Dennis,  W.  D.  Duke,  J.  A.  Fagin, 
J.  W.  Gordon,  Robert  Lamb,  Lieutenant  F.  J.  Lesesne, 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1864 


407 


P.  H.  Lesesne,  J.  G.  Player,  M.  M.  Scott,  H.  IL  Stukes, 
Jolin  Wilder;  wounded,  Lieutenant  C.  Lesesne,  S. 
Mitchum,  W.  E.  Mitckum,  Isaac  K.  Gamble,  John  M. 
Grayson,  John  Wilson. 

Spottsyl  vania :  killed,  John  A.  Altman,  Henry  A. 
Poston,  Nathaniel  M.  Johnson;  wounded,  J.  G.  Cox, 
Frank  Cox. 

Drury’s  Bluff,  May  14-16 :  killed,  J.  T.  Barrineau, 
M.  A.  Brown,  Captain  Thomas  J.  China,  B.  F.  Duke,  J. 

A.  Fagin,  B.  M.  Guess,  H.  W.  Matthews,  J.  E.  Kaler, 
T.  A.  McConnell,  J.  F.  Montgomery,  Samuel  Montgomery, 
William  Hallford,  D.  M.  Smith;  wounded,  J.  H.  Brad- 
liam,  B.  R.  Browder,  H.  J.  Brown,  Lieutenant  C.  Logan, 

B.  F.  Duke,  R.  E.  Duke,  E.  S.  Ellis,  J.  A.  Fagin,  A.  M. 
Gamble,  W.  E.  Graham,  William  Guess,  H.  L.  Grayson, 
J.  W.  Jayroe,  D.  S.  McClary,  S.  A.  McClary,  J.  N.  Mil¬ 
ler,  Isaac  Montgomery,  J.  F.  Montgomery,  C.  G.  Par¬ 
sons,  J.  C.  Parsons,  Ensign  J.  M.  Pendergrass,  H.  M. 
Pressley,  D.  M.  Smith,  H.  Tyler,  H.  G.  Wilson,  John 
Wilson,  R.  B.  Walters,  J.  Wisson,  J.  H.  Young. 

Haw’s  Shop,  May  28 :  killed,  S.  W.  Crapps,  William 
Henry  Dayis,  J.  J.  Marshall,  Lieutenant  T.  S.  Nelson; 
wounded,  Lieutenant  T.  G.  Britton,  J.  E.  McCullough, 
J.  P.  Mouzon,  R.  J.  Patterson,  T.  E.  Ragin. 

Treyillian :  killed,  T.  J.  Spooner ;  wounded,  Lieutenant 
T.  M.  McCutchen,  J.  Harper,  R.  B.  McClary. 

Cold  Harbor,  June  30:  killed,  S.  I.  Barrineau,  Major 
J.  C.  Wilson,  John  T.  Burrows,  W.  J.  Cox;  wounded, 

R.  S.  Smith  and  Thomas  McConnell. 

Clay’s  Farm:  killed,  Jacob  D.  Casselman,  John  W. 
Collins,  Hugh  Gunther,  Benjamin  Matthews,  William 
G.  Williamson;  wounded,  John  J.  Godwin  and  Samuel 
A.  Scott. 

Atlanta,  July  22:  killed,  G.  S.  Cook,  G.  Cook,  A.  J. 
Council,  Washington  Emanuel,  G.  W.  Huggins,  James 

S.  June,  J.  F.  LaRebour,  J.  M.  Matthews,  T.  A.  Matthews, 


408 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


S.  W.  McClain,  S.  W.  McClary,  Lieutenant  W.  H.  Munner- 
lin;  wounded,  J.  T.  Kirby,  John  J.  McCallister,  Colonel 
Janies  F.  Pressley,  Lieutenant  Thomas  J.  Kirby,  Lieuten¬ 
ant  E.  S.  Sauls,  John  J.  McKnight. 

Bermuda  Hundreds :  killed,  F.  F.  Parsons. 

Weldon  Railway,  August  21 :  killed,  J.  M.  Brown, 
Alexander  Cook,  Captain  W.  B.  Gordon,  J.  W.  Jay  roe, 
E.  J.  Kelly,  R.  W.  King,  William  Cantey  Lesesne,  J. 
E.  McCants,  F.  McCallister,  J.  S.  Mitchum,  J.  W.  Mont¬ 
gomery,  Thomas  Warren  Montgomery,  J.  A.  Odom, 
Thomas  Odom,  C.  Powell,  E.  Powell,  Barney  Wallace; 
wounded,  J.  H.  Bradham,  J.  R.  Cook,  H.  D.  Shaw,  J. 
D.  Young,  W.  H.  Young,  H.  L.  Graham,  Edward  John¬ 
son,  R.  K.  Liles,  James  B.  Montgomery,  James  M.  Young, 
Joseph  C.  Duke,  I.  Player,  G.  W.  Terry. 

Fort  Harrison,  September  21 :  killed,  Samuel  Flag¬ 
ler;  wounded,  Lieutenant  R.  A.  Flagler,  Lieutenant  R. 
S.  Smith,  and  J.  C.  McCutchen. 

Franklin,  November  30 :  wounded,  Lieutenant  T.  M. 
Britton,  J.  L.  Nesmith,  Thomas  Altman. 

Petersburg,  1864 :  killed,  R.  W.  Chandler,  B.  M.  Guess, 
George  W.  Hicks,  Ira  Lee,  Timothy  Lee,  John  J.  McGee, 
James  E.  McCallister,  J.  R.  McKenzie,  William  J.  Mills, 
John  Yarborough;  wounded,  Samuel  Cooper,  Robert  Ne¬ 
smith,  W.  H.  Young,  Robert  F.  Tilton,  John  W.  Cameron, 
W.  J.  Hicks,  Isaac  E.  Lee,  Leonard  Miles,  R.  W.  Chan¬ 
dler,  R.  D.  Rollins,  Ira  Coker. 

Nashville,  November  15:  killed,  J.  W.  Brown,  G.  W. 
Burrows,  J.  W.  Carter,  J.  T.  Carter,  F.  S.  McCants; 
wounded,  J.  E.  Holmes,  G.  L.  Ellis,  L.  H.  Pipkin,  S.  J. 
McCants,  T.  L.  Altman,  W.  A.  Marshall,  G.  W.  Scipper, 
W.  J.  Yareen,  D.  E.  Coward,  A.  M.  B.  Coward. 

Somewhere  these  men  were  killed  in  action.  Records 
and  tradition  say  one  place  and  another.  Wherever  they 
fell,  Williamsburg  dust  is  forever  there.  Robert  Ander¬ 
son,  Frank  McCants,  John  Rodgers,  J.  Cooper,  William 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1864 


409 


Game,  John  Garner,  W.  H.  Bunch,  W.  D.  Burrows,  John 
Missola,  G.  B.  Townsend,  H.  J.  Ervin,  S.  B.  Harris,  D. 

S.  Owen,  J.  C.  Singletary,  James  A.  Owens,  H.  D. 
Cusack,  T.  J. .  Blackwell,  T.  S.  Chandler,  W.  J. 
Matthews,  S.  C.  DuBose,  J.  C.  Hyman,  T.  Hyman,  W. 

T.  Rowell,  L.  V.  Scott,  John  Wilder,  Jesse  B.  Ellis, 
Stacey  June,  W.  J.  Wilson,  R.  Ard,  Henry  Buckels, 
Thomas  J.  Burrows,  T.  E.  Ragin,  T.  J.  Harrison,  Thomas 
Williamson,  James  Mulken. 

In  hospitals,  in  camps,  in  kindly  homes  of  Virginia, 
Tennessee,  Mississippi,  Georgia,  and  North  Carolina,  these 
soldiers  of  Williamsburg  died  of  disease  during  1864 : 
B.  J.  Avant,  J.  A.  Guess,  C.  R.  Martin,  Joseph  Ard,  W. 
N.  Boatwright,  James  Martin,  E.  R.  Martin,  William 
Montgomery,  T.  J.  Hughes,  E.  C.  Keels,  J.  H.  McClary, 
W.  D.  Singletary,  J.  McKenzie,  S.  E.  McCants,  W.  J. 
B.  Wall,  L.  W.  Cockfield,  W.  S.  Allen,  S.  M.  Flagler, 
William  G.  Christmas,  Henry  Gordon,  Lieutenant  J.  R. 
China,  S.  S.  Mitchum,  M.  R.  D.  Baker,  W.  D.  Cook,  E. 
S.  Ellis,  S.  Edgar  Montgomery,  John  Salters,  S.  W. 
Cockfield. 

Out  of  all  this  suffering  and  death  grew  hatred  for 
Abraham  Lincoln,  President  of  the  United  States.  From 
the  beginning,  the  Southern  people  seemed  to  realize 
that  this  man  stood  between  them  and  the  destiny  they 
desired.  They  called  the  North  Lincolndom  and  its  people 
Lincolnites.  The  Southern  people  were  about  correct 
in  their  estimate  of  Lincoln’s  powerful  personality.  He 
seems  to  have  been  the  only  man  of  the  War  who  could 
have  controlled. 

Hatred  for  Abraham  Lincoln  was,  and  is,  powerful  in 
Williamsburg.  No  man  can  measure  what  this  hatred 
has  wrought  in  Williamsburg.  It  is  interesting  to  know 
how  the  newspapers  fed  this  flame  of  hatred.  In  the 
Courier  of  November  9,  1864,  appears  the  following 
under  the  caption :  “God  Bless  Our  Noble  President.” 


410 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


“A  Republican  paper  in  the  North  exclaims  ‘God  Bless 
Onr  Noble  President.’  To  this  a  Western  paper  says: 

“God  bless  our  noble  President. 

“And  for  what? 

“Bless  him  for  being  the  poorest  apology  for  a  Chief 
Magistrate  the  world  ever  saw. 

“Bless  our  noble  President  for  being  the  only  clown, 
buffoon,  and  story  teller  ever  elevated  to  a  position  of 
influence  in  this  country. 

“Bless  him  for  filling  the  land  with  smutty  jokes,  with 
vile  mouthed  and  obscene  stories  which  even  blackguards 
by  profession  are  ashamed  to  repeat. 

“Bless  him  for  over-riding  all  law,  both  human  and 
divine. 

“Bless  him  for  his  imbecile  incompetency  and  for  his 
success  in  ruining  a  great  nation. 

“Bless  him  for  turning  a  war  for  the  preservation  of 
the  Union  and  for  the  suppression  of  the  rebellion  into 
a  wicked,  murderous,  crusade  for  cotton,  negroes,  and 
power.  Bless  him  for  making  a  million  of  widows  and 
five  millions  of  orphans. 

“Bless  him  for  robbing  the  North  of  its  bone  and  sinew, 
and  for  using  the  bodies  of  those  who  have  served  for 
enriching  the  soil  of  rebel  territory. 

“Bless  him  for  piling  mountains  of  taxes  upon  us — 
for  the  stamps  we  use — for  the  depreciation  of  our  cur¬ 
rency — for  the  the  poverty,  ruin,  and  suffering  in  the  land 
— for  the  thousands  of  women  who  have  been  forced  into 
houses  of  prostitution — for  the  thousands  of  broken  hearts 
— for  the  thousands  of  orphan  children  who  will  curse 
him  forever — for  the  army  of  cripples — for  the  corrup¬ 
tion  in  high  places — for  the  trampling  upon  the  liberties 
of  a  free  people — for  the  freeing  of  negroes  by  a  stroke 
of  his  pen — for  continuing  this  war  until  slaves  are  free, 
thus  proving  the  foolishness  of  his  proclamation — for  the 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1864 


411 


failure  of  our  armies — for  the  deprivation  of  its  rights 
which  has  made  America  the  home  of  the  oppressed. 

“Yes,  bless  our  noble  President.” 

President  Jefferson  Davis,  of  the  Confederate  States 
of  America,  was  first  severely  criticized  in  the  South  in 
November,  1864.  His  proposition  for  immediately  eman¬ 
cipating  forty  thousand  slaves  and  training  them  for  ser¬ 
vice  in  the  army,  giving  them  fifty  acres  of  land  each,  and 
to  continue  emancipating  them  for  service  in  the  army, 
created  great  resistance  of  sentiment  in  the  South.  The 
real  basis  of  the  secession  of  the  Southern  States  was 
economic.  This  fact  is  nowhere  more  clearly  revealed 
than  in  the  scorn  President  Davis  received  when  he  made 
this  recommendation  to  the  Confederate  Congress. 

However  much  contempt  was  shoAvn  for  President 
Davis’  proposition,  when  it  was  realized  that  Sherman 
would  probably  march  through  South  Carolina  on  his  way 
North  from  the  Sea,  many  of  the  best  men  in  the  State 
warmly  advocated  training  slaves  into  soldiers  to  resist 
him.  This  was  not  done. 

November  16,  1864,  was  set  apart  by  executive  author¬ 
ity  as  a  day  of  prayer,  confession,  and  thanksgiving.  The 
Courier  said,  “Various  and  checkered  has  been  the  char¬ 
acter  of  our  fears  for  the  past  six  months,  which  gives  rise 
to  feelings  of  a  diverse  nature.  The  reverses  that  our 
armies  have  sustained  have  been  so  grave  as  to  admonish 
us  that  our  sins  have  provoked  the  wrathful  displeasure 
of  Almighty  God.  God  has  greatly  humiliated  us  at  the 
hands  of  our  adversaries.  All  our  victories  and  successes 
have  come  from  God,  it  is  at  once  our  duty  and  privilege 
to  implore  the  continuance  of  His  favor.” 

At  the  time  of  all  these  serious  national  matters,  it 
seems  that  soap  and  vinegar  were  scarce  and  that  whiskey 
and  potatoes  were  plentiful  in  Williamsburg.  One  man 
in  the  district  showed  how  good  soap  could  be  made  from 
myrtle  wax;  and  another  asserted  that  good  vinegar, 


412 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


very  much  like  white  wine  vinegar,  conld  he  produced  by 
mixing  three  bushels  of  ripe  persimmons,  three  gallons 
of  whiskey,  and  twenty-seven  gallons  of  water.  Wil¬ 
liam  Gilmore  Simms,  the  historian,  endorsed  this  vinegar 
recipe. 

Editor  Fulton,  of  the  Wilmington  Journal,  came  to 
Kingstree  in  November  1864,  and  P.  B.  Mouzon,  agent 
of  the  Northwestern  railway,  gave  him  twenty  sweet 
potatoes  that  could  not  all  be  contained  in  a  bushel  basket. 
Editor  Fulton  went  back  to  Wilmington  and  wrote  about 
Williamsburg’s  sweet  potatoes.  The  editor  of  the  Charles¬ 
ton  Courier  read  Editor  Fulton’s  article  and  came  to 
Kingstree  immediately.  Mr.  Mouzon  gave  him  a  bushel 
of  “uncommonly  fine”  potatoes,  one  of  which  measured 
twenty-four  inches  in  length,  and  of  “other  respectable  di¬ 
mensions.”  The  editor  of  the  Courier  wrote :  “It  appears 
that  large  potatoes  are  quite  common  in  old  Williamsburg, 
as  we  saw  a  negro  with  six  of  unusual  size,  for  which 
he  was  asking  $1.00  each.  When  told  that  his  price 
was  above  the  market,  he  consoled  himself  by  say¬ 
ing  that  he  would  take  them  home  and  keep  them 
until  spring,  when  potatoes  would  be  scarce,  and  he  could 
readily  get  his  price.  How  much  like  ‘ole  Mossa.’  ” 

Williamsburg  elected  in  1864  as  its  delegation  in  the 
Legislature:  Senator,  James  McCutchen;  representa¬ 
tives,  James  F.  Pressley  and  W.  A.  Hemingway.  Colonel 
McCutchen  declined  the  honor,  preferring  to  remain  with 
his  regiment.  Colonel  Pressley  was  at  home  recovering 
from  the  serious  wound  receievd  at  Atlanta. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  at  its  con¬ 
ference  in  December,  1864,  appointed  Reverend  J.  W.  Mur¬ 
ray  for  the  Kingstree  Circuit  and  the  Reverend  J.  C. 
Stoll  for  the  Black  River  Circuit  for  1865. 


CHAPTER  XXXI. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.  1865. 

The  ragged  remnant  of  the  splendid  Southern  armies 
that  had  gone  to  War  in  1861  refused  to  surrender  dur¬ 
ing  the  autum  of  1864,  although  all  but  the  spirit  of  the 
men  had  been  crushed.  Southern  regiments  had  been  so 
decimated  that  not  even  a  full  company  of  effective  fight¬ 
ing  men  could  be  had  from  many  of  them.  All  possible 
old  men  and  boys  and  others  who  had  been  doing  state 
service  were  sent  to  Virginia  in  the  vain  hope  of  strength¬ 
ening  the  thin  gray  line  of  battle. 

Captain  John  Tucker’s  Company,  afterwards  Captain 
John  McDonald’s,  that  had  been  guarding  the  coast  from 
the  Pee  Dee  to  the  Santee  until  late  in  1864,  was  sent  to 
Virginia  to  unite  with  Company  A,  Seventh  Cavalry. 
Among  the  men  of  Williamsburg  who  then  became  sol¬ 
diers  in  the  Seventh  Cavalry  were  W.  H.  Britton,  J. 
W.  Britton,  D.  Z.  Martin,  W.  F.  Thompson,  W.  T.  Thomp¬ 
son,  Robert  Godwin,  S.  B.  Green,  John  Green,  Richard 
Green,  Thompson  Green,  Eli  Rodgers,  Claron  Rodgers, 
Furman  Rodgers,  Stephen  Rodgers,  John  Ferdon,  James 
Hanna,  Robert  Abrams,  Duncan  Fitch,  John  Hill,  and 
others.  J.  W.  Britton,  and  Robert  Godwin  were  killed 
in  the  battle  of  Farmville  on  the  retreat  from  Richmond 
to  Appamattox. 

At  Fort  Fisher,  these  died  of  wounds:  J.  B.  Johnson 
and  D.  Powell;  these  at  Fortress  Monroe,  R.  M.  Footman 
and  Edgar  Montgomery. 

William  G.  Gamble  and  J.  T.  Moreton  were  killed  at 
Benton ville,  North  Carolina,  in  almost  the  last  efforts 
Johnson  made  to  resist  Sherman.  G.  P.  Anderson  was 
wounded  at  Kinston,  J.  J.  Miller  at  Jonesboro,  and  D. 
B.  Fulton  at  Raleigh. 


414 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Kings  tree’s  Own,  the  Wee  Nee  Volunteers,  then  Com¬ 
pany  C,  Twenty-Fifth  Infantry,  was  sent  from  Virginia 
on  December  22,  1864,  to  reinforce  Fort  Fisher.  This 
Twenty-Fifth  Regiment  spent  Christmas  Day,  December 
25,  1864,  in  Greensboro,  North  Carolina,  on  the  way. 
The  citizens  of  this  city  feasted  this  Regiment  on  roast 
turkey,  barbecued  pig,  apple  dumplings,  and  gave  them 
all  the  real  coffee  and  ripe  apple  brandy  its  men  could 
contain.  These  things  were  prepared  and  served  as  only 
the  old  Pennsylvania  Dutch  in  that  Greensboro  country 
knew  how,  and  these  broken  veterans  of  a  hundred  bat¬ 
tles  enjoyed  them  and  found  in  them  faith  to  sustain 
their  feelings  that  all  good  in  the  South  had  not  been  lost. 
There  were  at  least  three  of  the  Wee  Nee  Company  who 
enjoyed  that  Greensboro  Christmas  dinner  in  1864  liv¬ 
ing  in  Williamsburg  in  1923.  They  were  Captain  Cal¬ 
houn  Logan,  Harvey  J.  Brown,  and  William  M.  Mc- 
Ivnight.  These  venerable  and  distinguished  men  recall 
this  dinner  as  one  of  their  most  precious  war  memories. 

The  Twenty-Fifth  Regiment  proceeded  on  its  way  from 
Greensboro  to  Wilmington,  Avliere  it  was  captured  with 
the  Fort  Fisher  garrison  on  January  15,  1865.  The  offi¬ 
cers  were  separated  from  the  enlisted  men  and  all  were 
sent  on  barges  to  Fortress  Monroe,  from  which  point  they 
were  sent  to  Elmira  prison,  where  they  remained  until 
the  end  of  the  War. 

In  Elmira  prison,  Williamsburg’s  soldiers  fared  re¬ 
markably  well.  When  the  Wee  Nee  men  arrived,  they 
found  there  a  large  number  of  their  comrades  from  the 
district  who  had  been  taken  in  battles  before  that  time. 

Among  these  was  Lieutenant  Junius  E.  Scott,  who  had 
been  wounded  and  captured  at  the  battle  of  the  Weldon 
Railway. 

Lieutenant  Scott  fell  in  this  battle  on  the  Weldon 
Railway  and  his  comrades  saw  him  lying  unconscious  on 
the  field  with  a  bullet  hole  in  his  clothing  over  his  heart. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1865 


415 


They  abandoned  him  as  dead.  But  he  had  a  New  Testa- 
ment  and  a  wallet  in  his  breast  pocket.  The  bullet  went 
through  the  Testament,  but  stopped  in  the  wallet.  The 
traumatism  was,  however,  sufficient  to  deaden  him  tempo¬ 
rarily.  Lieutenant  Scott  afterwards  said  that  when  he 
first  revived  a  big  Irish  Yankee  soldier  had  him  by  the 
collar  and  was  saying  kindly,  “Come  on,  sonny.”  Lieu¬ 
tenant  Scott  was  then  but  a  boy  in  years. 

These  old  Williamsburg  soldiers  say  that  they  had  one 
pound  of  good  white  bread,  some  beans  or  peas,  and  bacon 
or  beef,  issued  to  them  every  day  they  were  at  Elmira, 
and  that  all  prisoners  who  were  reasonably  well  behaved 
were  allowed  considerable  liberty  on  the  streets  of  Elmira. 
Veteran  Harvey  J.  Brown  says  one  night  he  and  a  num¬ 
ber  of  others  did  not  arrive  at  the  stockade  until  much 
later  than  permitted  out.  When  they  returned  it  was 
dark  and  a  Yankee  sentinel  simply  would  not  let  them 
pass  until  they  used  a  few  brickbats  on  him.  These  of¬ 
fenders  were  courtmartialled  and  could,  under  military 
law,  have  been  shot.  Some  of  the  offenders  were  required 
to  walk  with  their  heads  through  one  hundred  pound 
barrels  for  a  few  hours.  But  when  Mr.  Brown  came  on 
for  punishment,  all  the  prepared  barrels  were  in  use. 
The  provost  marshall  looked  about  him  and  finally  saw  a 
log  weighing  about  one  hundred  pounds  lying  near.  He 
ordered  Mr.  Brown  to  shoulder  that  log  and  march  with 
it.  Mr.  Brown  took  up  the  log  and  placed  it  as  ordered. 
He  remembered,  however,  that  he  had  been  wounded  in 
that  shoulder  at  Chafin’s  Farm,  so  he  showed  the  scar  to 
the  Yankee  officer,  who  smiled  and  said,  “Go  on  back  to 
vour  stockade.” 

t / 

Lieutenant  Junius  Scott  was  an  excellent  accountant 
and  agreeable  in  association,  so  the  Elmira  prison 
officials  soon  began  to  use  him  as  a  clerk  and  secretary. 
William  M.  McKniglit  says  one  time  there  a  number  of 
sick  prisoners  were  ordered  South,  that  he  was  sick  and 


416 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


extremely  anxious  to  leave  that  cold  country,  but  that  his 
name  did  not  appear  on  the  list  to  go.  Lieutenant  Scott 
took  in  the  situation  and  the  night  before  the  departure 
of  the  prisoners,  slipped  him  the  proper  papers,  and  ad¬ 
vised  him  how  to  avoid  the  officer  counting  the  departing 
prisoners. 

J.  E.  Rowe,  a  wealthy  resident  of  Elmira,  was  a  per¬ 
sonal  friend  of  Lieutenant  Scott’s  father.  Mr.  Rowe  was 
exceedingly  kind  to  Lieutenant  Scott  while  in  prison  and 
to  many  of  his  friends.  Frequently,  he  gave  Lieutenant 
Scott  many  delicacies  for  his  friends,  thus  relieving  the 

monotony  of  prison  fare. 

Veteran  Brown  says  when  he  was  discharged  from  El¬ 
mira  prison,  he  was  furnished  transportation  to  his  home 
in  Cades,  coming  by  way  of  steamer  from  New  York  to 
Charleston,  from  which  place  he  came  by  railway  train  to 
the  Santee  River,  was  there  ferried  across  and  boarded  a 
train  for  his  home.  This  was  the  first  train  from  Charles¬ 
ton  to  Florence  after  the  War,  on  July  27,  1865. 

When  the  Twenty-Fifth  South  Carolina  Infantry  sur¬ 
rendered  to  General  Sherman  near  Greensboro  on  April 
26,  1865,  Captain  E.  R.  Lesesne  was  commanding.  There 
were  then,  besides  Captain  Lesesne,  these  officers  present : 
Lieutenant  H.  L.  Greer  and  Surgeon  M.  L.  Horlbeck; 
non-commissioned,  Sergeant  S.  M.  China,  Hospital  Stew¬ 
ard  J.  E.  Farris;  Commissary  Sergeant  M.  J.  Hirsch, 
and  thirty-six  privates.  These  men  from  Company  C, 
the  Wee  Nee  Volunteers,  signed  the  rolls:  Sergeant 
S.  M.  China,  privates  D.  E.  Adams,  E.  M.  Browder,  A. 
Bradshaw,  F.  W.  Boyd,  and  E.  R.  Cook. 

The  following  were  the  terms  of  the  Military  Convention 
entered  into  between  General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  com¬ 
manding  Confederate  Army,  and  Major  General  W.  T. 
Sherman,  commanding  U.  S.  Army  in  North  Carolina,  and 
signed  for  the  Twenty-Fifty  South  Carolina  Infantry  hy 
Captain  E.  R.  Lesesne :  “Greensboro,  North  Carolina,  May 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1865 


417 


1,  1865.  The  officers  and  men  whose  names  are  borne 
on  this  roll  have  given  their  solemn  obligation  not  to 
take  up  arms  against  the  government  of  the  United  States 
until  properly  released  from  this  obligation.  And  they 
are  permitted  to  return  to  their  homes  not  to  be  dis¬ 
turbed  by  the  United  States  authorities  so  long  as  they 
observe  this  obligation  and  obey  the  laws  in  force  where 
they  may  reside/7 

The  Tenth  South  Carolina  Infantry,  then  commanded 
by  Lieutenant  Colonel  C.  Irvine  Walker,  in  which  were 
most  of  the  Williamsburg  men,  surrendered  with  John¬ 
ston’s  army  to  General  Sherman  on  April  26,  1865,  and 
signed  the  parole  on  May  1,  1865.  The  Twenty-Sixth 
South  Carolina  Regiment  surrendered  with  General  Rob¬ 
ert  E.  Lee  at  Appamattox. 

After  General  Lee  had  surrendered,  the  Confederate 
cause  was  generally  regarded  as  hopeless  by  the  forces 
in  Virginia  and  nearly  all  the  men  came  home  as  quickly 
as  possible,  without  regard  to  formality,  parole,  or  any¬ 
thing  else.  Veteran  James  Epps  was  one  of  these  men 
who  shouldered  his  rifle  immediately  and  who  moved 
southward  bv  the  most  effectual  method  available.  Mr. 

4/ 

Epps  has  that  rifle  until  this  day.  He  has  been  for  nearly 
four  score  years  one  of  the  best  men,  from  every  point  of 
view,  who  ever  lived  in  Williamsburg.  His  old  comrades, 
simply  because  he  has  lived  so  completely  within  the  law, 
human  and  divine,  have  tried  a  thousand  times  to  con¬ 
vince  him  that  his  “walking  away”  with  his  rifle,  with¬ 
out  having  formally  surrendered,  was  a  grievous  wrong, 
but  he  has  never  admitted  “the  crime.” 

Those  men  of  Williamsburg  who  were  being  held  as 
prisoners  of  war  were  not  released  until  some  time  after 
all  Confederate  Armies  had  surrendered  and  all  its  forces 
had  quitted  the  field.  These  prisoners  were  held  at  va¬ 
rious  points  in  the  Northern  States,  and  as  released  were 


418 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


furnished  with  transportation  and  rations  to  their  re¬ 
spective  homes. 

On  six  hundred  Confederate  officers  the  United  States 
Army  visited  the  sins  of  the  South.  Two  of  this  Immortal 
Six  Hundred,  Lieutenants  William  Epps  and  David  Ervin 
Gordon,  were  men  of  Williamsburg.  The  sufferings  of  these 
Six  Hundred  officers  must  have  been  far  bevond  the  imagi- 
nation  of  lesser  men.  The  severest  retaliation  known 
to  modern  warfare  was  inflicted  upon  them.  They  were 
placed  under  fire  of  guns  from  their  own  forces  and 
kept  there  for  months.  This  was  because  the  Confederate 
authorities  placed  some  United  States  officers  in  the  resi¬ 
dence  portion  of  Charleston  where  they  would  be  exposed 
to  the  fire  of  the  Union  forces  besieging  that  city.  These 
Six  Hundred  were  given  only  corn  meal  and  pickles  to 
eat  for  a  considerable  period  since  some  Union  prisoners 
of  war  in  the  South  were  not  furnished  with  a  sufficient 
ration.  This  Six  Hundred  had  dangling  before  their  eyes 
all  this  time  the  Oath  of  Allegiance  to  the  United  States 
and  freedom. 

Does  anyone  but  the  keenest  physiologist  realize  how 
intense  partial  starvation  is?  How  fiercely  the  hunger 
fires  burn  when  some  elements  of  food  are  withheld  until 
certain  organs  of  the  body  cry  continuously  for  suste¬ 
nance?  And  does  even  the  most  understanding  psycholo¬ 
gist  know  half  how  much  spirit  is  controlled  by  contin¬ 
uous  half  unconscious  suffering  and  physical  disintegra¬ 
tion?  In  all  this  War  Between  the  Sections,  no  other 
men  had  such  opportunity  as  these  Six  Hundred  Confed¬ 
erate  Officers  to  show  their  divine  manhood.  These  Six 
Hundred  suffered  most. 

Lieutenant  William  Epps  kept  a  diary  while  these 
“Immortal  Six  Hundred”  were  undergoing  the  furies  of 
retaliation.  Here  follow  some  entries  made  therein : 


■■1 


illlii 


-  .  p  .-tip;.:  -.  if  f  \  -* 

.K  ’ •  : 

i  '*  *  ‘-n'  ?ii 


LIEUT.  DAVID  ERVIN  GORDON,  C.  R.  A 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1865 


419 


“Fort  Delaware,  August,  1864. 

“1.  Today  lias  been  very  interestingly  spent — prayer 
meeting  and  Christian  Association  in  the  morning  and 
preaching  in  the  evening. 

“2.  Nothing  of  interest  passed  today — attended  meet¬ 
ings  as  usual. 

“3.  Excitement  among  the  Yanks  today — some  of  the 
Rebs  tried  to  make  their  escape  last  night — one  poor  fel¬ 
low  was,  they  say,  drowned  in  the  attempt.  I  hope  the 
others  were  more  successful.  Just  read  an  interesting 
book,  title,  ‘May  I  Believe?7 

“4.  Low  in  spirits  today — thinking  of  Dixie  far,  far 
away. 

“5.  Attended  divine  services  as  usual — felt  that  I 
was  living  at  too  great  distance  from  God. 

“6.  Just  read  an  interesting  little  book,  ‘Mary  Search¬ 
ing  for  Jesus.7 

“7.  and  8.  Nothing  of  interest  to  the  mind  except 
pleasant  hours  spent  in  religious  exercises.  Just  finished 
reading  ‘Poor  Henry.7 

“9.  and  10.  The  weather  is  so  warm  it  is  very  uncom¬ 
fortable  in  prison.  Yesterday  I  was  astonished  when  I 
looked  out  of  the  window  and  saw  fifteen  privates  (Rebel 
prisoners)  drawing  a  heavy  two-horse  plough  in  rough 
land,  driven  by  the  Yanks.  Read  an  interesting  little 
book,  ‘Only  Believe.7 

“11.  In  high  spirits  about  being  exchanged  soon — it 
is  rumored  that  six  hundred  officers  leave  here  in  a  few 
days  for  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

“20.  Six  hundred  leave  today  for  Hilton  Head. 

“24.  This  morning  about  three  o’clock  ran  aground 
just  off  Cape  Rornain  Light  House — about  six  hours  before 
we  could  move.  During  the  delay,  we  planned  to  capture 
the  vessel,  but  gunboat  came  up  and  our  victory  was 
crushed. 


420 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


“September  7.  Today  we  landed  on  Morris  Island  and 
are  now  situated  in  tents  between  Batteries  Wagner  and 
Gregg  with  negroes  to  guard  us. 

“9.  The  Yanks  are  firing  furiously  at  our  Batteries. 
Fort  Moultrie  replied,  dropping  shells  in  beautiful  style 
in  and  around  Wagner  and  Gregg,  except  two  that  ex¬ 
ploded  over  our  prison,  three  pieces  of  which  fell  among 
our  tents  and  caused  a  very  unpleasant  feeling  among  the 
Rebs.  Fortunately  none  of  us  were  hurt. 

“20.  Since  the  9th,  nothing  of  very  great  importance 
has  occurred  except  our  rations  have  been  very  short  and 
generally  unfit  for  even  a  dog  to  live  upon.  They  consist  of, 
for  breakfast,  two  hard  crackers  and  about  an  ounce  of 
salt  pork;  dinner,  half  pint  bean  soup,  two  crackers,  and 
sometimes  meat ;  supper,  one  cracker  and  about  one  ounce 
of  meat.  Upon  an  average  I  think  we  get  about  five  crack¬ 
ers  and  two  and  one-half  ounces  of  meat  per  day. 

“28.  A  change  in  the  rations — now  it  is  four  and  one- 
half  crackers,  one-half  pint  of  bean  soup,  and  about  two 
ounces  of  meat  per  day.  Sometimes,  a  half  pint  rice. 
Received  a  letter  from  home  today. 

“October  5.  I  have  not  witnessed  a  more  pleasant  feel¬ 
ing  among  the  men  since  I  have  been  a  prisoner.  A  large 
amount  of  nourishment  from  the  citizens  of  Charleston 
has  just  arrived  and  never  were  provisions  more  joyfully 
received.  Every  man  has  a  smile  on  his  face. 

“16.  Sunday — batteries  on  Sullivan’s  Island  appar¬ 
ently  practicing  at  our  pen  or  something  nearby,  for  sev¬ 
eral  fragments  of  shell  have  just  fallen  among  the  tents. 

“30.  Captain  E.  S.  Hall  and  Captain  H.  S.  Lewis  have 
been  taken  out  of  prison  for  a  special  exchange.  A  change 
in  our  rations  since  we  left  Morris  Island — we  get  per 
day  about  nine  crackers,  a  pint  of  rice  or  bean  soup,  and 
about  two  ounces  of  meat. 

“November  1.  Another  change  in  rations — nearly  a 
pound  of  rice,  loaf  bread,  about  four  ounces  of  meat,  a 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1865  421 

pint  of  good  vegetable  soup,  and  as  much  salt  and  sugar 
as  we  need. 

“4.  and  5.  A  large  supply  of  tobacco  and  ten  gallons 
of  syrup  received  for  general  distribution  among  us,  be¬ 
sides  a  great  many  private  boxes.  Nothing  seems  to  revive 
prisoners  more  than  such  acts  of  kindness  by  our  friends 
at  home. 

“19.  Moved  from  Fort  Pulaski  on  board  the  steamer 
Canonicus  and  sailed  northward.  We  anchored  off  Hil¬ 
ton  Head  about  seven  p.  m. 

“20.  At  four  p.  m.,  disembarked  from  the  Canonicus 
and  marched  about  one-half  mile  near  Skull  Creek,  where 
we  are  now  quartered.  Our  tents  are  in  an  open  field — 
three  men  to  each  tent.  We  are  limited  to  about  an  acre 
of  land  and  guarded  by  the  One  Hundred  Forty-Fourth 
New  York  Volunteer  Infantry — so  far  a  very  cleyer  set 
of  men.  They  issued  coffee,  sugar,  and  bread  for  supper 
and  breakfast. 

“24.  Since  the  20th,  our  rations  have  been  short  and 
issued  raw,  viz.:  crackers  (cooked),  beans,  and  salt  pork, 
sometimes  grist  or  rice.  Very  little  wood  is  furnished  and 
that  green,  such  as  maple,  sweetgum,  and  short  leaf  pine 
— oak  occasionally.  The  weather  being  cold  and  scarcely 
wood  enough  for  cooking  purposes,  we  have  suffered 
very  much  from  cold. 

“December  1.  Rations  issued  raw  again  and  green  pine 
wood  to  cook  with.  Unfortunately,  the  Yankees  have 
succeeded  in  recapturing  the  other  three  officers  who  es¬ 
caped  the  guard  a  few  nights  ago. 

“6.  Received  a  letter  and  box  of  provisions  from  home. 
Many  wounded  Yanks  have  arrived  here  from  Foster’s  ex¬ 
peditions. 

“16.  Rations  of  meat  stopped — nothing  issued  to  us 
but  bread  and  not  enough  of  that  for  two  meals  each  day. 
We  are  not  allowed  to  buy  anything  whatever,  neither 
are  we  allowed  to  receive  money,  clothing,  provisions,  or 


422 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


anything  whatever,  that  would  add  to  our  comfort.  My 
watch  was  returned  a  few  days  ago  that  was  taken  from 
me  at  Point  Lookout,  Maryland,  but  minus  the  key,  guard, 
and  twenty  dollars  that  was  taken  at  the  same  time. 

“20.  Corn  meal  and  pickles  instead  of  molasses — camp 
kettles  to  cook  in.  The  Yanks  say  they  are  retaliating 
on  us  for  some  of  their  officers  who  were  treated  badly  at 
Columbia,  South  Carolina.  Some  of  them  who  made 
their  escape  from  Columbia  arrived  here  a  few  days  ago. 
Some  of  them  said  they  were  very  roughly  treated  while 
others  of  the  same  party  said  they  were  well  treated. 

“25.  Christmas  dinner  composed  of  dry  bread,  but  for¬ 
tunately  we  got  some  molasses  and  gravy  from  our  friends 
that  made  us  a  good  meal.  We  get  nothing  but  corn  meal, 
pickles  and  once  in  four  days,  one  pound  wheat  bread. 

“31.  Weather  very  rainy  and  cold — many  of  us  are 
suffering  wonderfully  from  cold  and  hunger.  It  is  aston¬ 
ishing  that  any  government  will  treat  prisoners  of  Avar 
as  we  are  treated. 

“January  1.  Um\^ell  and  suffering  cold  and  hunger — 
ten  days  rations  of  corn  meal  and  pickles  issued.  We 
have  not  had  any  meat  since  December  16.  Dogs,  rats, 
and  cats  dare  not  show  themselves  in  our  prison — several 
cats  have  been  killed  and  eaten  among  us  lately. 

“10.  Corn  meal  and  pickles  issued  again. 

“17.  My  birthday — tAArenty-tAvo  years  of  age.  We  are 
still  suffering  from  cold  and  hunger.  My  feet  have  been 
frost  bitten  and  pain  me  considerably.  A  great  many 
others  of  my  fellow  prisoners  are  suffering  in  a  worse 
condition.  No  fire  is  allowed  us  at  night,  and,  during 
the  day,  only  enough  to  cook  our  small  rations. 

“20.  Meal  and  pickles  issued  and  a  little  flour  instead 
of  bread. 

“27.  Our  rations  increased  by  four  ounces  of  salt  beef 
and  four  ounces  of  Irish  potatoes  per  day,  in  addition  to 
the  meal  and  pickles,  but  still  kept  under  retaliation. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1865 


423 


“February  1.  Rations  of  pickles  stopped — the  others 
continued,  except  beef — pork  instead. 

“15.  All  are  in  very  high  spirits.  Official  news  arrived 
today  that  we  are  all  to  be  exchanged  as  soon  as  practi¬ 
cable.  Oh !  what  a  happy  thought  it  is  to  feel  that  we 
are  soon  to  be  released  from  this  unhappy  prison  life. 

“18.  The  Confederate  money  returned  that  was  taken 
from  us  when  we  were  first  captured. 

“19.  A  salute  of  one  hundred  guns  fired  by  the  fleet 
off  this  harbor  and  thirty-eight  fired  from  a  land  battery 
over  the  fall  of  Charleston,  South  Carolina. 

“20.  Full  rations  issued — sixteen  ounces  of  bread  stuff, 
half  flour  and  half  corn  meal,  ten  ounces  of  meat,  pork, 
and  bacon,  per  day,  and  also  some  beans  and  soup. 

“28.  Provost  Marshall  inquired  of  each  prisoner 
whether  or  not  he  wants  to  be  exchanged  or  take  the 
oath  of  allegiance  to  the  United  States. 

“March  1.  Ten  days’  rations  issued. 

%/ 

“3.  Very  busy  preparing  our  rations  for  a  voyage — 
the  rumor  is  that  we  leave  tomorrow  for  Fortress  Monroe. 

“8.  A  steamer  said  to  be  loaded  with  Confederate 
prisoners  passed  up  the  James  River  to  be  exchanged. 
Oh,  that  our  turn  would  come ! 

“11.  Sadly  disappointed — instead  of  being  exchanged, 
we  sail  north  for  Fort  Delaware. 

“19.  Since  our  arrival  here  it  is  said  eight  of  our  party 
have  died  and  many  others  are  suffering  with  the  same 
disease,  scurvy.  Small  pox  has  also  made  its  appearance. 

“24.  Taken  sick  with  pneumonia. 

“25.  Went  to  the  hospital  and  was  kindly  treated  by 
the  surgeon. 

“April  2.  Salute  of  one  hundred  guns  fired  over  the 
fall  of  Richmond. 

“10.  Bad  news — reported  that  General  R.  E.  Lee  has 
surrendered  himself  and  army  to  General  Grant.  At 


424 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


twelve  o’clock,  a  salute  of  two  hundred  guns  fired  over  the 
news. 

“11.  Received  a  suit  of  clothing  and  a  check  for  $10.00 
from  Miss  S.  E.  Wells,  94  West  Eleventh  St.,  New  York 
City,  N.  Y. 

“15.  News  arrived  that  President  Lincoln  was  shot 
last  night  and  died  this  morning  at  seven  o’clock;  also 
that  Secretary  Seward  was  assasinated  and,  it  is  thought, 
mortally  wounded. 

“16.  All  flags  flying  at  half  mast  and  a  cannon  fired 
every  half  hour  in  honor  of  the  deceased  President. 
Twenty  Confederate  officers  brought  in  (prisoners). 

“26,  27,  28.  Oath  of  Allegiance  to  the  United  States 
offered  us  on  condition  that  all  who  take  it  are  to  be 
speedily  released.  Of  two  thousand,  about  half  have  con¬ 
sented  to  take  it.  Three  Confederate  officers  brought  in 
from  Johnson  Island.  The  prison  is  very  much  crowded 
and  we  are  all  in  a  demoralized  state  of  mind  caused  by 
the  sad  news  of  our  late  misfortunes.  It  is  rumored  that 
General  Joseph  E.  Johnston,  Confederate  States  Army, 
has  surrendered  to  General  U.  S.  Grant,  United  States 

Armv. 

«/ 

“30.  The  above  rumor  confirmed,  a  great  many  are 
making  application  to  take  the  oath,  feeling  that  our  cause 
is  entirely  hopeless,  that  being  the  only  chance  of  deliver¬ 
ance. 

“May  2.  Oath  again  presented  to  those  who  refused  a 
few  days  ago.  All  consent  to  take  it  except  one  hundred 
ten  who  still  feel  it  their  duty  to  remain  in  prison  for 
the  sake  of  our  beloved  country,  the  Confederacy.  After 
neglecting  my  dear  mother  and  family  four  years  and 
suffering  the  hardships  of  a  soldier’s  life  and  twelve 
months  and  seven  days  of  prison  life  for  what  I  thought 
was  a  just  cause,  but  thinking  all  hope  of  success  is  gone 
now,  I  consent  to  submit  to  the  will  of  a  victorious  people, 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1865 


425 


to  return  home  with  a  sad  heart  and  a  conquered  spirit, 
subject  to  the  mercy  of  a  powerful  enemy. 

“16.  It  has  been  rumored  here  that  President  Davis 
and  his  staff  have  been  captured. 

“22.  For  several  days  past  we  have  been  laboring 
under  some  excitement  about  our  President.  Though  the 
papers  have  mentioned  it  each  day  for  several  days,  say¬ 
ing  that  he  was  captured  in  women’s  clothing,  not  until 
this  morning  could  we  realize  the  fact  that  he  had  been 
captured.  General  Wheeler  and  staff,  also  Colonel  Lub¬ 
bock,  of  President  Davis’  staff,  arrived  here  this  morning, 
who  gave  us  the  particulars  of  his  capture.  Colonel  Lub¬ 
bock  says  he  was  captured  with  the  President  and  that  it 
is  all  false  about  them  being  captured  in  women’s  cloth¬ 
ing.  We  are  waiting  in  suspense  for  our  release. 

“26.  Received  $20.00  from  Miss  S.  E.  Wells  through 
Lieutenant  L.  C.  Nowell,  to  whom  I  feel  under  many 
obligations. 

“June  11.  This  day  twelve  months  ago  I  was  made  a 
prisoner  of  war.  I  am  now  waiting  anxiously  to  be  re¬ 
leased  from  prison. 

“19.  At  seven  a.  m.,  released  from  prison  feeling  once 

, 

more  at  liberty.  At  seven-thirty,  leave  on  a  steamer  for 
Philadelphia.  At  four-thirty  p.  m.,  leave  Philadelphia 
by  rail  for  New  York,  arriving  there  at  eight-thirty. 

“20.  I  am  stopping  at  the  Libby  House,  54-56-58  War- 

1  ren  Street,  New  York,  M.  Martin,  Proprietor. 

“22.  Miss  Wells  furnished  me  $10.00  through  L.  C. 
Nowell. 

| 

“23.  Called  on  Miss  Wells  and  found  her  a  very  kind 
lady.  She  again  sends  me  $12.50, — truly  she  is  a  friend 
indeed. 

“25.  At  eleven-thirty  a.  m.,  on  board  the  steamship 
Arago,  which  sails  at  twelve  o’clock  for  Hilton  Head, 
S.  C.  I  have  spent  a  very  pleasant  week  in  New  York. 


426 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


“26.  Beautiful  weather  and  we  are  sailing  quietly  but 
slowly  southward. 

“27.  Arrived  at  Hilton  Head,  S.  C.,  after  a  pleasant 
voyage. 

“July  1.  At  eleven  o’clock  a.  m.,  on  board  the  King¬ 
fisher  to  sail  to  Charleston,  S.  C.  Arrived  at  Charleston 
wharf  at  two  o’clock,  p.  m. 

“2.  Take  the  cars  for  Kingstree  at  five  o’clock  a.  m. 
Arrived  at  Kingstree  at  three-thirty  p.  m.  At  four-thirty, 
arrived  at  home,  found  mother  and  family  all  well,  once 
more  a  happy  man.” 

General  Hardee  in  command  of  about  fifteen  thousand 
Confederate  troops  had  his  headquarters  in  the  present 
Harper  home  on  East  Main  Street,  Kingstree,  during  Feb¬ 
ruary,  1865.  He  was  recuperating  his  army  and  refurnish¬ 
ing  it  with  supplies  for  the  purpose  of  opposing  Sherman’s 
Army  in  its  effort  to  flank  Lee’s  Army  in  Virginia.  Gen¬ 
eral  Hardee  impressed  nearly  all  horses,  mules,  corn, 
flour,  and  bacon  in  Williamsburg  for  his  army  and  caused 
much  distress  in  the  district.  Some  men  said  that  even 
Sherman’s  Army  afflicted  a  community  less  than  Hardee’s. 

But  General  Hardee  did  not  impress  Mrs.  Elizabeth 
Brockinton’s  carriage  horses.  Some  one  who  preceded 
Hardee  to  Kingstree  told  her  that  General  Hardee  im¬ 
pressed  all  draught  animals  except  blind  mules  with  in¬ 
growing  hoofs.  Mrs.  Brockinton  was  one  of  the  best 
housekeepers  in  this  district  and  her  cook  could  “boil  ’em 
tender  and  bake  ’em  brown.”  When  Mrs.  Brockinton  knew 
that  General  Hardee  was  approaching  Kingstree,  she  sent 
her  favorite  carriage  horses  in  charge  of  Uncle  Joe  into 
the  thicknesses  of  Impenetrable  Swamp.  She  herself  went 
into  the  kitchen  and  mixed  and  baked  things  that  looked 
good,  smelled  good,  and  she  knew  would  taste  good.  She 
filled  a  big  basket  with  these  things  and  rode  in  an  oxcart 
to  General  Hardee’s  headquarters  with  them.  She  asked 
the  sentinel  to  present  her  compliments  to  the  General 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1865 


427 


with  her  request  for  an  interview.  An  orderly  trans¬ 
mitted  her  message.  Perhaps  he  most  respectfully  stated 
to  the  General  that  a  fine  lady  outside  desired  to  see  him, 
and  gave  him  at  the  same  time  the  unmistakable  “high 
sign  of  good  eats”  known  and  recognized  by  men  of  all 
ranks  from  prince  to  pauper.  The  General  received  the 
lady  and  she  soon  returned  with  an  order  that  her  car¬ 
riage  horses  should  not  be  molested.  The  General  ac¬ 
cepted  the  basket.  Uncle  Joe  returned  those  horses  to  her 
plantation,  and  she  another  day  appeared  at  Hardee’s 
headquarters  in  state,  invited  the  General  and  his  personal 
staff  to  dine  at  her  home.  This  invitation  was  accepted. 
Further,  this  chronicler  knoweth  not. 

Sherman  took  Columbia  February  17,  1865.  On  Feb¬ 
ruary  18,  1865,  after  five  hundred  sixty-seven  days  of 
siege  and  one  of  the  most  stubborn  resistances  in  history, 
Charleston  was  evacuated  bv  the  Confederate  forces  and 
taken  over  by  the  Union  troops.  The  only  hope  held  out 
was  the  defeat  of  Sherman  bv  Johnston’s  army. 

Dr.  Samuel  McGill,  one  of  the  most  intelligent  men  of 
this  district,  recorded  the  following  in  his  diary,  and  later 
commented  thereon  as  quoted  from  his  Reminiscences  of 
Williamsburg : 

“February  28,  1865.  All  is  gloom  and  uncertainty  and 
preparations  are  being  made  for  the  worst.  Furniture 
and  provisions  are  hidden  against  pending  raids  ex¬ 
pected  through  the  district,  which  is  now  at  the  mercy  of 
our  enemy.  Our  currency  is  valueless  and  merchants 
refuse  to  take  it  for  goods.  It  is  feared  famine  will  pos¬ 
sess  the  land;  our  army  is  demoralized  and  the  people 
panic-stricken.  All  is  gloom,  despondency,  and  inactivity. 
The  power  to  do  has  left  us.  All  our  possessions  will  go 
to  pay  the  Yankee  debt.  To  fight  longer  seems  to  be  mad¬ 
ness;  to  submit  tamely  is  dishonor. 

“March  1,  1865.  News  continues  to  get  worse.  The 
enemy  is  reported  to  have  crossed  Santee  and  burned 


428 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Mr.  Staggers’  fine  house  at  Murray’s  Ferry  iu  this  dis¬ 
trict.  They  are  composed  of  artillery,  cavalry,  and  infan¬ 
try,  most  of  which  are  negro  troops.  They  were  expected 
at  Kingstree  yesterday  to  burn  and  destroy  and  pillage. 
No  force  is  there  to  oppose  them.  Another  force  of  Yan¬ 
kees  is  reported  coming  from  Georgetown  by  Rope  Ferry 
who  have  already  seized  government  stores  at  Pine  Tree, 
which  has  been  the  point  of  transportation  of  rice  from 
Georgetown.  The  whole  country  is  in  the  wildest  com¬ 
motion  and  many  are  fleeing  to  the  woods  with  their 
wives  and  daughters,  while  a  few  have  gone  to  meet  the 
advance  and  to  give  battle. 

“All  during  this  month  of  March,  1865,  we  were  all 
under  such  excitement  and  distress  that  we  gave  credence 
to  the  most  fabulous  reports,  as  we  seek  information  of 
news  from  our  neighbors.  All  communication  from  the 
outside  was  cut  off  and  all  that  we  could  hear  from  our 
army  was  through  sick  soldiers,  who  had  made  their 
way  through  the  Yankee  lines  and  who  gave  woeful  ac¬ 
counts  of  our  starving  and  disheartened  soldiers.  On 
the  road  could  be  seen  deserters  from  our  armv,  who,  be- 
lieving  the  war  virtually  ended,  were  trudging  their  way 
through  the  country,  homeward  bound  in  squads,  with 
their  guns,  prepared  to  defend  themselves  if  molested. 

“Georgetown  was  now  in  possession  of  the  Yankees, 
and  thither  thousands  of  our  negro  slaves,  who  had  been 
kind,  faithful,  and  true  to  us  during  the  war,  were  steal¬ 
ing  away  in  the  night.  Each  morning  we  could  hear  of 
such  a  negro  ‘run  away  and  gone  to  the  Yankees,’  and  no 
efforts  were  made  to  intercept  them,  owing  in  part  to  our 
inability  to  do  so  and  the  expected  successful  operation 
of  President  Lincoln’s  Emancipation  Proclamation.” 

About  April  1,  1865,  Governor  Magrath  determined  to 
make  a  desperate  effort  to  prevent  raiders  going  from 
Georgetown  into  the  surrounding  country,  so  he  ordered 
all  available  troops  in  this  section  to  report  to  Colonel 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1865 


429 


James  F.  Pressley,  then  at  home  recovering  from  his  At¬ 
lanta  wound,  for  such  service.  On  April  4,  when  these 
home  guard  companies,  old  men  and  boys,  of  the  district, 
began  assembling  at  Potato  Ferry  for  this  duty,  Potter’s 
Raiders  from  Georgetown  had  already  entered  Williams¬ 
burg  and  were  laying  waste  the  country  south  of  Black 
River. 

Potter’s  Raiders  were  composed  of  some  organized 
Union  forces,  many  self  attached  robber  bands,  and  hun¬ 
dreds  of  plantation  deserting  negro  slaves.  It  must  have 
been  the  purpose  of  Potter  to  show  General  Sherman  that 
his  march  to  the  sea  might  have  been  more  horrible.  It  is 
doubtful  if  ever  a  more  comtemptible  force  of  cutthroats 
assembled  than  Potter’s  Raiders.  The  plantation  de¬ 
serting  negroes  in  this  aggregation  of  fiends  knew  where 
everything  of  value  in  the  district  had  been  secreted  and 
these  Raiders  gloated  over  wanton  and  malicious  destruc¬ 
tion.  These  Raiders  butchered  all  the  cattle  and  sheep 
south  of  Black  River  and  left  their  carcasses  to  rot  in  the 
fields  and  swamps.  They  burned  all  the  homes  and  de¬ 
stroyed  all  the  plantation  shade  trees  aged  by  the  cen¬ 
turies.  When  this  nefarious  band  had  destroyed  every¬ 
thing  visible  about  the  home  of  Hugh  Boyd  and  was  de¬ 
parting  for  the  next  home  for  annihilation,  one  of  these 
fiends  happened  to  notice  the  Boyd  Family  Bible  hidden 
away  in  some  weeds.  This  fiend  dismounted,  seized  that 
sacred  morocco  bound  book,  and  tore  half  of  its  cover 
away,  hacking  its  pages  with  his  sabre.  The  Lynch  family 
had  several  linen  table  cloths  and  other  pieces  of  priceless 
texture,  within  which  were  woven  the  coat  of  arms  of 
the  family,  which  beautiful  things  had  been  sacredly 
treasured  for  more  than  two  centuries.  Potter’s  Raiders 
destroyed  everything  else  about  the  place,  but  used  these 
beautiful  things  as  saddlecloths  to  show  their  own  souls 
along  their  way. 


430 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Potter’s  Raiders  did  not  cross  Black  River  from  the 
south.  Williamsburg  arose  en  masse  and  resisted  them. 
Fortunately,  Black  River  at  that  time  was  very  high,  and 
it  was  practically  impossible  to  cross  it  except  at  points 
where  bridges  were.  With  Captain  J.  J.  Steele’s  company 
as  a  nucleus,  about  sixteen  hundred  men  gathered  to¬ 
gether  under  the  command  of  Colonel  James  F.  Pressley  at 
the  Lower  Bridge  on  April  6,  1865.  Among  these  men  were 
Captain  T.  W.  Daggett,  Captain  S.  J.  Snowden,  Captain 
W.  L.  Wallace,  Captain  W.  N.  Y.  Rodgers,  Captain 
John  E.  Scott,  Captain  Samuel  McGill,  Lieutenant  Fur¬ 
man  Rodgers,  Lieutenant  Thomas  M.  Gilland,  Lieutenant 
J.  M.  Kennedy,  Lieutenant  N.  H.  Welch,  and  Lieutenant 
T.  S.  Steele,  Jr.,  all  of  whom  had  served  in  the  organized 
army,  and  all  of  whom  commanded  companies  of  men. 
This  force  under  Colonel  Presslev  reached  the  Lower 
Bridge  a  few  hours  before  Potter’s  Raiders  and  tore  up 
and  burned  the  bridge.  Many  volleys  were  exchanged, 
but  the  Raiders  on  the  south  side  realized  that  it  would 
be  impossible  to  repair  the  burned  bridge  or  to  cross  on 
pontoons  under  such  a  fire  as  would  play  upon  them  from 
Colonel  Pressley’s  forces.  The  Raiders  camped  that  night 
on  the  south  side  of  the  river.  During  the  night,  Cap¬ 
tain  John  E.  Scott  swam  the  river  and  scuttled  some  boats 
that  were  anchored  on  the  south  side,  Colonel  Pressley 
fearing  the  Raiders  might  undertake  to  use  them  in  at¬ 
tempting  to  cross  during  the  darkness.  It  was  this  night 
that  Dr.  David  C.  Scott,  then  fifteen  years  old,  spent 
armed  with  a  Confederate  rifle  in  the  trenches  at  the  Lower 
Bridge,  which  night  he  remembers,  regretting  all  his  life 
that  he  had  not  been  born  a  few  years  earlier  so  that  he 
could  have  gone  into  battle  in  Virginia  in  the  Confed¬ 
erate  Army. 

When  Potter’s  Raiders  realized  the  hopelessness  of 
crossing  at  the  Lower  Bridge,  they  moved  westward  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  while  Colonel  Presslev’s  forces 


WILLIAMSBURG,  C.  S.  A.,  1865 


431 


pressed  forward  to  prevent  them  from  crossing.  The 
bridge  at  Kingstree  was  burned  by  the  Confederates  to 
prevent  these  Raiders  crossing,  as  were  all  other  bridges 
in  Williamsburg  District. 

“For  the  next  few  weeks/7  says  Dr.  McGill,  “no  mind 
can  comprehend  the  gloom  and  fearful  anticipations  of  the 
whole  district.  Every  man,  capable  of  bearing  arms,  was 
in  our  little  army,  now  away  in  Sumter  District,  and  our 
whole  district  was  at  the  mercy  of  negro  raids,  led  by 
Yankees  from  Georgetown.  Nor  were  we  in  any  way  re¬ 
lieved  from  the  horrors  of  our  situation  until  General 
Potter,  hearing  of  Lee’s  surrender  in  Virginia,  was  on  his 
way  to  Georgetown  by  the  Santee  River  road,  and  most 
of  our  men  had  returned  to  their  homes,  to  gather  around 
them  and  defend  their  families,  who  had  sought  safer 
places  than  their  homes  were  considered  to  have  been.” 

On  the  same  day  that  the  Wiliamsburg  District  be¬ 
tween  the  Santee  and  Black  River  was  being  raided  by  in¬ 
describable  ruffians,  and  that  part  north  of  Black  River 
was  defending  its  section  against  these  nameless  things, 
the  Union  Army,  with  President  Lincoln  at  its  head,  was 
entering  Richmond,  the  late  capitol  of  the  Confederacy. 
On  April  9,  1865,  General  Robert  E.  Lee  surrendered  with 
his  army  to  General  U.  S.  Grant  at  Appamattox  Court 
House.  The  Confederacv  had  been  crushed. 

From  the  beginning  of  the  War  Between  the  Sections, 
Abraham  Lincoln  was  the  only  master  of  men  and  events. 
He  was  the  Thing  that  shattered  the  Confederacy.  He 
alone  had  been  able  to  direct  all  conflicting  forces  towards 
the  End.  On  April  15,  1865,  when  most  needed,  he  was 
killed  bv  an  assassin’s  bullet.  Hate  snatched  the  ruins 
of  government  from  his  dying  hands  and  for  a  decade 
drove  North  and  South  ruthlessly  towards  Death  and  Hell. 

There  were  some  abolitionists  in  New  York  and  Boston 
who  realized  that  they  did  not  have  the  blood  basis  to  equal 
in  culture  some  of  the  slave  owning  aristocrats  in  the 


432 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


South.  There  were  other  abolitionists  in  Kansas  and 
Nebraska  and  California  who  had  been  driven  out  of  the 
South  by  economic  conditions,  even  from  the  valleys  of 
the  Pee  Dee,  the  Wee  Nee,  and  the  Santee.  These  two 
classes  of  abolitionists  had  not  been  sated  with  sufferings 
and  gore  at  the  Bloody  Lake  of  Chickamauga  and  on  the 
murderous  slopes  of  Gettysburg.  The  green  eyed  hate  in 
them  made  them  ghouls,  to  gather  mangled  and  emaci¬ 
ated  Union  soldier  forms  from  Southern  battlefields  and 
prisons,  and  exhibit  them  continuously  to  the  already 
hate  maddened  hordes  of  the  North. 

And  there  was  no  Superman  among  the  conquerors 
when  Lincoln  was  dead. 


CHAPTER  XXXII. 


WILLIAMSBURG,  U.  S.  A.,  1865. 

Williamsburg  District  on  May  1,  I860,  was  the  most 
Southern  of  all  the  South.  Every  man  was  a  cotton  planter. 
Several  were  physicians,  a  half  dozen  were  merchants,  two 
or  three  were  lawyers,  but  every  one  owned  and  operated 
a  plantation  by  virtue  of  African  slave  labor.  There  were 
practically  no  “poor  whites”  in  the  district.  All  of  this 
breed  had  gone  away  into  the  far  West  and  become  mili¬ 
tant  abolitionists.  Williamsburg  then  placed  its  trust 
in  cotton  and  believed  that  it  was  king  of  the  earth.  The 
district  did  not  even  produce  a  sufficiency  of  corn  and 
pork  to  supply  its  needs,  although  corn  would  grow  with 
little  cultivation  and  hogs  would  increase  and  fatten  in 
the  swamps  without  any  care  from  man.  Williamsburg 
preferred  to  produce  cotton  and  from  the  proceeds  of  its 
sale  to  purchase  whatever  else  it  needed  or  desired.  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  then  was  drunk  with  material  prosperity  and 
did  not  consider  the  danger  incident  to  the  production  of 
one  article.  Xor  does  it  seem  that  Williamsburg  remem¬ 
bered  that  less  than  three  generations  before  that  time 
the  world  had  lived  for  countless  generations  without 
using  cotton  products. 

The  people  of  Williamsburg  had  passed  through  three 
generations  without  doing  manual  labor.  Their  hands 
were  untutored  and  soft  and  their  minds  were  overcome 
by  the  delusion  that  working  with  the  hands  was  dis¬ 
honorable  and  consistent  only  with  the  condition  of  slav¬ 
ery.  While  negro  slavery  had  brought  a  kind  of  pros¬ 
perity  to  the  South,  it  had  undermined  the  foundation  of 
substantial  life  and  the  fall  was  inevitable. 

It  must  have  been  that  Williamsburg  District  on  May 
1,  1865,  was  one  of  the  saddest  spots  in  the  world.  Be¬ 
tween  May  1,  1861  and  May  1,  1865,  Williamsburg  Dis- 


434 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


trict  furnished  twelve  hundred  able  bodied  men  to  the 
Confederate  Army.  This  was  more  in  number  than  it 
had  men  between  the  ages  of  eighteen  and  forty-five.  Of 
these  twelve  hundred,  more  than  three  hundred  were 
killed  in  battle  or  died  of  disease  and  more  than  three 
hundred  of  the  remainder  had  been  severelv  wounded  in 
action.  A  considerable  number  had  been  so  seriously 
weakened  by  the  hardships  of  the  camp  that  they  were 
semi-invalids  for  the  rest  of  their  davs.  Of  those  Con- 
federate  soldiers  who  returned  strong  and  healthy  from 
the  War,  few  actually  knew  anything  about  agriculture 
and  stock  raising,  nor  had  the  old  men  and  the  women  who 
remained  on  the  plantations  of  Williamsburg  learned 
very  much  about  these  things  during  the  War.  Over¬ 
seers  and  slaves  had  been  most  largely  responsible  for 
the  cotton  raising  in  Williamsburg.  Slaves  had,  as  a 
general  rule,  remained  loyal  to  their  plantations  during 
the  War  and  the  usual  conditions  had  obtained.  The 
hands  of  the  white  people  of  Williamsburg  were  still  soft 
and  their  muscles  untrained  on  May  1,  1865. 

The  Emancipation  Proclamation,  which  had  been  pro¬ 
mulgated  as  a  war  measure  by  President  Lincoln  on  Jan¬ 
uary  1,  1863,  became  effective  in  the  Southern  States  as 
their  territory  came  under  the  rule  of  martial  law  by  the 
United  States  forces.  Until  May  1,  1865,  Williamsburg’s 
Confederate  law  did  not  succumb.  A  few  days  before 
that  time  some  of  the  farsighted  men  of  the  district  re¬ 
alized  what  fearful  conditions  might  result  from  the  com¬ 
plete  collapse  of  the  Confederate  Government  and  re¬ 
quested  the  United  States  military  commander  at  George¬ 
town  to  station  some  troops  at  Kingstree  for  the  pro¬ 
tection  of  the  people  of  the  County.  This  was  done. 

When  Captain  Blake  and  his  company  of  regular  troops 
of  the  United  States  Army  arrived  at  Kingstree,  these 
soldiers  immediately  satisfied  the  best  element  in  the 
district  that  the  community  should  be  controlled  accord- 


WILLIAMSBURG,  U.  S.  A.,  1865 


435 


ing  to  the  rule  of  reason  and  in  harmony  with  the  highest 
ideals  of  the  section.  These  troops  most  agreeably 
surprised  the  substantial  citizens  of  Williamsburg  as  well 
as  certain  recently  freed  slaves  who  had  expected  these 
Yankee  soldiers  to  consort  with  them  and  to  effect  their  ne¬ 
farious  designs.  These  soldiers  advised  and  virtually  re¬ 
quired  negro  slaves  in  the  district  to  remain  on  their  respec¬ 
tive  plantations  and  complete  the  cultivation  and  harvest¬ 
ing  of  the  crop  that  had  already  been  planted.  These 
troops  maintained  order  and  compelled  the  negroes  to 
conform  even  to  a  severer  code  than  their  masters  had 
required.  An  insolent  or  “uppish”  negro  found  no  com¬ 
fort  or  consolation  in  this  Yankee  camp,  and  frequently 
a  former  master  was  seen  pleading  for  mercy  for  an  of¬ 
fender.  The  venerable  Samuel  Ruffin  Mouzon,  whose 
family  history  and  natural  ability  assure  sound  judge- 
ment,  said  in  1922,  “This  military  law  just  after  the  War 
gaA7e  South  Carolina  the  best  government  it  has  ever  had.” 
This  opinion  seems  to  prevail  so  far  as  Williamsburg  is 
concerned  among  the  few  remaining  men  who  were  mature 
in  that  far  away  period. 

During  the  military  occupation  of  Williamsburg,  the 
same  civil  officials  who  had  been  chosen  under  the  Con¬ 
federate  Government  continued  to  exercise  the  functions 
of  their  several  offices  under  the  direction  of  and  with 
but  little  interference  from  the  Federal  soldiers  in  the 
district. 

Political,  social,  and  economic  conditions  in  Williams¬ 
burg  at  the  close  of  1865  were  sufficiently  severe  to  test 
to  the  uttermost  any  people  who  ever  lived  on  these  mun¬ 
dane  plains.  Half  of  its  virile  young  manhood  had  been 
sacrificed  to  the  god  of  war  and  every  home  in  the  land 
was  a  house  of  mourning.  Its  heroic  dead  were  already 
dust  in  Virginia  and  Tennessee  and  Georgia,  but  its  liv¬ 
ing  sacrifices  moved  about  with  their  empty  sleeves  falling 
limp  by  their  sides  and  crying  continuously  out  of  their 


436 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


silence.  The  natural  rulers  of  the  district  saw  above  them 
always  a  stronger  force  than  they  could  control.  How¬ 
ever  faithful  and  efficient  this  military  government  may 
have  been  and  however  closely  its  commanders  may  have 
followed  the  best  light  before  them,  those  people,  who  had 
hewn  out  of  primeval  forests  this  pleasant  land  and  who 
had  paid  for  its  political  freedom  and  independence  with 
their  own  blood,  could  not  find  peace  and  rest  in  other 
than  their  own  law.  Economic  conditions  were  inde¬ 
scribable.  For  more  than  a  year  Williamsburg  had  no 
money  as  a  medium  of  exchange  and  primitive  barter 
obtained.  The  Federal  troops  stationed  at  Kingstree 
immediately  after  Appamattox  brought  the  first  money 
that  would  pass  as  currency  in  the  district  and  through 
these  Federal  troops  for  about  six  months  came  nearly 
all  of  the  money  in  circulation  in  this  section. 

The  natives  of  Williamsburg  had  a  sufficient  amount  to 
eat  all  during  the  year  1865,  but  there  were  many  refu¬ 
gees  who  came  here  from  the  coast  absolutely  penniless. 
There  was  some  suffering  for  food  among  these  people 
while  their  condition  was  unknown  to  the  normal  resi¬ 
dents. 

Samuel  Ruffin  Mouzon,  who  then  lived  and  now  lives 
on  the  Mouzon  plantation  eight  miles  west  of  Kingstree, 
was  passing  along  the  streets  of  Kingstree  soon  after  the 
coming  of  the  Union  soldiers  when  he  was  accosted  by 
Major  Atkinson,  a  refugee  lawyer  from  Georgetown,  who 
had  brought  his  family  here  to  escape  Potter-made  con¬ 
ditions  in  Georgetown.  Says  Mr.  Mouzon,  “Major  Atkin¬ 
son  told  me  that  his  children  were  crying  for  bread  and 
that  he  must  have  something  for  them  to  eat  and  that  no 
money  could  be  had  and  that  he  was  helpless.”  Mr.  Mou¬ 
zon  went  home  and  immediately  sent  Major  Atkinson  a 
bushel  of  meal,  two  hams,  and  a  fat  beef  steer,  writing 
him  that  he  might  pay  for  these  things  whenever  it  was 
convenient.  A  few  days  later  when  Mr.  Mouzon  was 


WILLIAMSBURG,  U.  S.  A.,  1865 


437 


in  Kingstree,  Major  Atkinson  gave  him  some  money, 
which  he  placed  in  his  pocket  and  did  not  count  until 
reaching  home.  He  then  found  that  Major  Atkinson  had 
paid  him  $49.00.  Mr.  Mouzon  took  $9.00  hack  to  Major 
Atkinson,  since  prior  to  that  time  they  had  agreed  on 
$40.00  as  a  price  for  the  steer.  Major  Atkinson  declined 
to  accept  the  $9.00  on  the  ground  that  old  Simon  had  been 
given  the  head,  liver,  and  lights  of  the  beef  for  butchering, 
that  he  had  kept  one  hind  quarter  for  himself  and  sold 
the  remainder  of  the  beef  for  $53.00  to  the  Yankees.  Mr. 
Mouzon  says  that  he  had  more  than  one  hundred  head  of 
cattle  in  Pudding  Swamp  at  that  time. 

However  distressing  conditions  were  at  this  time,  ob¬ 
servant  ones  saw  beneath  the  lowest  depth  already  reached 
a  lower  depth  yawning  to  receive  them.  Alien  military 
rule  seemed  to  tax  these  high  spirited  Anglo-Saxons  to 
the  absolute  limit,  yet  hating,  unrestrained  abolitionists 
had  not  done  their  worst.  President  Andrew  Johnson 
undertook  to  execute  Lincoln’s  reconstruction  policy  in 
the  South,  but  he  was  no  stronger  than  a  hundred  other 
men  about  him  who  had  hate  in  their  hearts  and  vengeance 
in  their  hands. 

The  reconstruction  policy  advocated  by  such  Republi¬ 
can  leaders  as  Governor  Andrew  of  Massachusetts  was 
thus  summarized  by  him  on  January  2,  1866 :  first,  prose¬ 
cute  peace  as  vigorously  as  we  have  prosecuted  war;  sec¬ 
ond,  inflict  no  humiliation,  require  no  humiliation  of  the 
South ;  third,  enlist  the  sympathy  and  service  of  the  natu¬ 
ral  leaders  of  the  South  in  the  work  of  reconstruction. 
For  advocating  this  policy  towards  the  South,  Governor 
Andrew’s  name  was  stricken  from  the  list  of  the  Republi¬ 
can  party  leaders  and  the  reconstruction  Republican  Con¬ 
gress,  ignoring  and  over  ruling  the  Executive,  proceeded 
without  let  or  hindrance  to  wreak  its  policy  of  vengeance 
on  the  Southern  States. 


438 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


This  Congress  made  a  condition  precedent  to  the  read- 
mission  of  the  Southern  States  into  the  Union  that  they 
should  adopt  constitutions  and  organize  and  then  submit 
to  the  Congress  the  condition  that  the  Congress  might 
determine  whether  or  not  the  petitioning  state  had  con¬ 
formed  and  was  worthy  of  readmission.  This  Republi¬ 
can  Congress  took  the  command  of  the  army  out  of  the 
hands  of  the  President  and  decreed  that  Federal  troops 
should  remain  in  the  subdued  Southern  States  so  long 
as  it  willed.  This  Congress  passed  laws  granting  suffrage 
to  every  male  inhabitant  in  the  South  over  twenty-one 
years  of  age  and  not  attainted  by  felony,  excepting  certain 
classes  of  men  who  had  participated  in  the  War.  This 
Congress  directed  that  Federal  troops  should  be  stationed 
in  the  South  to  effect  this  suffrage  policy.  Under  these 
laws,  Williamsburg  District  had  more  than  five  recently 
emancipated  negro  slaves  to  every  one  white  man  who 
could  vote.  The  State  of  South  Carolina  had  more  negroes 
than  whites  who  could  cast  ballots  and  thus  determine 
the  constitution  and  the  laws  required  for  readmission 
into  the  Union. 

democracy  is  for  angels.”  Thousands  of  years  of  re¬ 
corded  history  and  further  ages  of  reliable  tradition  show 
that  unlimited  democracy  is  impossible  in  any  consider¬ 
able  state.  The  beautiful  so  called  democracies  which 
have  flourished  from  time  to  time  along  the  ages  have  all 
been  so  limited  that  in  fact  thev  were  aristocracies.  This 

t/ 

act  of  the  Republican  Congress  in  attempting  to  create 
an  unlimited  democracy  had  no  precedent  in  history  and 
will  probably  never  be  used  as  authority  for  foisting 
such  an  impossible  scheme  on  any  other  people  until  the 
end  of  the  world.  This  Congress  undertook  to  place 
within  the  hands  of  negroes,  who  could  neither  read  nor 
write,  and  whose  experiences  had  been  limited  to  slaving 
services  on  plantations,  and  whose  ancestors  had  four 
generations  before  them  been  cannibals  on  the  Congo,  the 


439 


WILLIAMSBURG,  U.  S.  A.,  1865 

rule  and  domination  of  the  fairest  land  on  earth.  White 
men  owned  this  fair  land  by  virtue  of  birth  right  from 
worthy  establishing  ancestry. 

LTnder  the  terms  dictated  for  suffrage  by  this  Repub¬ 
lican  Congress,  there  gathered  in  Columbia  a  convention 
in  1868  which  adopted  a  constitution  for  the  control  and 
the  government  of  South  Carolina.  This  Constitution 
came  out  of  the  brains  of  men  who  were  aliens  in  the  State 
and  from  those  men  who,  though  born  and  raised  within 
its  bounds,  had  been  attainted  by  the  State,  and  hated  the 
land  in  which  they  first  saw  the  light.  This  Constitution 
was  a  monstrosity  in  the  eyes  of  the  men  who  had  made 
the  State  and  who  loved  it.  This  Constitution  was  sub¬ 
mitted  to  the  Congress  created  voters  of  South  Carolina 
for  three  days,  April  14,  15,  16,  1868.  Unspeakable  Re¬ 
publican  politicians  herded  ignorant  and  illiterate  negroes 
to  the  polls  and  voted  them  for  the  adoption  of  this  Con¬ 
stitution.  And  this  was  the  first  dav  in  the  liistorv  of  the 

€/  9J 

State  that  the  Constitution  had  ever  been  submitted  to 
the  people  for  ratification.  Elections  were  held  under  - 
this  Constitution  and  General  Robert  Iv.  Scott,  a  carpet 
bagger  from  Ohio,  was  chosen  Governor  of  the  State  and 
a  “black  and  tan”  Legislature  selected. 

On  July  29,  1868,  General  R.  S.  Canbv,  Federal  military 
commander  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina,  issued  Gen¬ 
eral  Order  No.  145  in  which  he  stated,  that  “all  authority 
conferred  upon  and  heretofore  exercised  by  the  com¬ 
mander  of  the  second  military  district  under  the  afore¬ 
cited  law  of  March  2,  1867  (the  first  of  the  Reconstruction 
acts)  is  hereby  remitted  to  the  civil  authorities  consti¬ 
tuted  and  organized  in  the  States  of  North  Carolina  and 
South  Carolina,  under  the  Constitution  adopted  by  the 
people  thereof,  and  approved  by  the  Congress  of  the 
United  States.” 

Night  and  Chaos  reigned. 


CHAPTER  XXXIII. 


RECONSTRUCTION. 

The  last  County  officials  of  Williamsburg  before  the 
reconstruction  were  as  follows:  James  McCutchen,  sen¬ 
ator;  James  F.  Pressley  and  John  A.  Keels,  representa¬ 
tives  ;  Samuel  P.  Mathews,  sheriff ;  William  R.  Brockinton, 
clerk;  David  M.  Duke,  ordinary;  Julius  P.  Gamble,  cor¬ 
oner  and  tax  collector;  magistrates,  S.  W.  Maurice,  T. 
B.  Logan,  R.  G.  Ferrell,  W.  W.  Carter,  and  T.  R.  Greer; 
notary  publics,  W.  H.  McElveen,  S.  T.  Cooper,  W.  F. 
Ervin,  Edward  J.  Porter,  and  John  G.  Pressley;  John 
A.  Salters  was  collector  of  internal  revenue  and  T.  B. 
Logan,  District  Judge.  These  men  were  all  Democrats 
and  were  elected  to  their  respective  offices  by  the  Legis¬ 
lature  of  the  State  of  South  Carolina. 

In  1868,  an  election  was  held  in  which  all  males  over 
twenty-one  years  old,  not  attainted  of  felony,  and  not  pro¬ 
hibited  on  account  of  service  under  Confederate  Govern¬ 
ment,  were  allowed  to  vote.  This  almost  unlimited  de¬ 
mocracy,  which  was  forced  upon  Williamsburg,  chose  the 
following  Republican  officials:  S.  A.  Swails,  negro,  sen¬ 
ator;  F.  H.  Frost,  J.  Pendergrass,  and  Fortune  Guilds, 
all  negroes,  representatives;  W.  W.  Ward,  sheriff;  F.  C. 
Cooper,  clerk  of  the  court;  Louis  Jacobs,  probate  judge; 
L.  Donath,  coroner;  C.  Gewinner,  W.  J.  Lee,  and  R.  A. 
McMillan,  commissioners;  F.  H.  Frost,  negro,  school 
commissioner;  F.  H.  Swails,  negro,  auditor;  Philip  Hel¬ 
ler,  treasurer;  C.  H.  Pettingil,  State  constable;  C.  Rasted 
and  F.  H.  Frost,  negroes,  assessors.  In  all  this  list  of 
County  officials,  there  was  not  one  white  man  who  was 
a  native  of  Williamsburg  District,  nor  one  belonging  to 
what  Governor  Andrew  of  Massachusetts  called  the  “natu¬ 
ral  ruling  element.” 


RECONSTRUCTION 


441 


One  with  imagination  must  have  seen  the  morning 
after  these  Republican  officials  had  been  clothed  with 
authority  the  shade  of  the  scholarly  Colonel  N.  G.  Rich 
hovering  over  the  Williamsburg  Court  House  and  heard 
it  wondering,  “Is  this  the  region,  this  the  soil,  the  clime  ?” 

From  the  reports  of  the  Grand  Juries  let  the  labors  of 
these  Republican  rulers  be  told,  remembering  that  this 
ancient  and  honorable  Anglo-Saxon  institution  was  then 
dominated  by  illiterate  and  ignorant  negroes  and  “scal- 
lawag”  whites  who  would  have  concealed  every  injurious 
fact  possible. 

The  Grand  Jury  of  May,  1871,  reported :  “The  prisoners 
have  not  been  confined  as  a  general  thing,  but  they  have 
been  allowed  to  walk  about  in  the  streets  wheresoever  and 
whensoever  they  pleased,  and  yet  the  County  has  been  re¬ 
quired  to  pay  large  sums  of  money  for  guard  duty.  Until 
the  new  county  jail,  now  in  process  of  erection,  shall 
have  been  completed,  this  Jury  recommends  that  the  pris¬ 
oners  be  confined  in  the  jails  of  neighboring  counties.” 
This  Jury  reported  that  some  of  the  county  offices  were 
badly  kept  and  “the  books  and  papers  examined  show  a 
system  of  corruption  and  theft  stupendous  to  behold.” 
“The  most  glaring  corruption  and  inefficiency  we  have 
discovered  is  in  the  office  of  the  County  Commissioners. 
The  books  and  papers  of  the  office  up  to  the  15th  of  April, 
1870,  are  totally  unintelligible  and  furnish  no  information 
whatever  of  the  money  received  in  the  office  from  licenses, 
or  what  has  been  done  with  the  money  that  has  been  re¬ 
ceived.  The  books  of  the  present  Board  show  that  $1466.00 
have  been  received  for  licenses  this  year  and  the  Board 
accounts  for  only  $512.15.” 

The  Jury  had  the  clerk  and  the  board  summoned  and 
examined  but  they  could  not  and  did  not  make  any  ex¬ 
planation  of  what  had  become  of  the  balance.  “The  books 
show  upon  their  very  face  that  upon  many  occasions  when 
monev  was  received,  it  was  forthwith  divided  out  be- 


442 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


tween  the  members  of  the  board  and  the  clerk.  Many  ir¬ 
regularities  were  discovered,  only  a  few  of  which  we 
deem  it  necessary  to  mention,  owing  to  the  want  of  time; 
and  we  believe  those  we  do  mention  will  show  the  general 
maladministration  and  malfeasance  of  the  parties  in 
office.  We  find  that  written  application  was  made  to  the 
board  by  C.  M.  Matthews  and  E.  P.  Montgomery  for  li¬ 
censes  to  sell  liquors,  but  no  evidence  appears  on  the  books 
of  a  license  ever  being  granted,  though  it  is  a  fact  within 
our  knowledge  that  both  of  these  parties  have  been  en¬ 
gaged  in  the  sale  of  spiritous  liquors  during  the  past 
year.  We  find  also  bv  the  books  that  the  members  of  the 
board  have  charged  for  as  many  as  twenty  days  for  service 
of  each  member  of  the  board  in  the  same  month  while  we 
are  informed  that  the  law  allows  only  compensation  to 
them  for  one  hundred  days  in  the  whole  year.  We  ex¬ 
amined  this  point  and  report  that  from  the  15th  day  of 
April,  1870,  to  April,  1871,  that  J.  P.  Barrineau  charged 
for  182  days;  that  William  Scott  upon  the  same  period 
charged  for  170  days.  Ambrose  Tisdale  went  into  office 
last  fall.  From  the  last  of  November,  1870,  to  April,  1871, 
he  charged  for  54  days.  We  have  not  been  able  to  find 
any  evidence  that  any  account  was  ever  made  out  by  the 
members  of  the  board  and  submitted  to  the  County  Treas¬ 
urer  to  be  audited  and  approved  by  him  as  required  by  acts 
of  the  General  Assembly.  In  short,  we  find  the  whole 
office  and  the  transactions  of  the  board  to  have  been  con¬ 
ducted  in  such  a  manner  as  to  exhibit  a  total  disregard 
to  law,  honesty,  and  propriety  and  Ave  recommend  the 
members  of  the  board  and  the  clerk  to  be  indicted  for 
official  misconduct  and  malfeasance  in  office  for  reasons 
heretofore  stated. 

“We  find  that  the  former  incumbent  in  the  School 
Commissioner’s  office  has  failed  to  account  for  funds  re¬ 
ceived  and  we  recommend  that  the  said  F.  H.  Frost  be 
indicted. 


RECONSTRUCTION 


443 


“We  find  in  the  Treasurer’s  office  that  no  regard  has 
been  paid  either  to  justice  or  laAv  where  claims  against 
the  County  have  been  paid  or  they  have  been  paid  in  such 
a  manner  as  shows  favoriteness,  or  corruption,  or  both. 
We  find  that  the  County  Treasurer  speculates  with  county 
funds  for  his  own  benefit.  The  result  of  this  kind  of  con¬ 
duct  is  that  jurymen  and  witnesses,  who  are  compelled 
by  law  to  attend  court,  cannot  be  paid  for  their  tickets 
and  forced  in  many  cases  to  sell  them  for  from  25  to  50 
per  centum  discount  to  pay  their  necessary  expenses  in  at¬ 
tending  the  court.  This  is  a  great  evil  and  some  remedy 
ought  to  be  provided,  for  favorites  ought  not  to  get  all  of 
the  county  money  and  allow  others  who  happen  not  to  be  so 
fortunate  either  to  wait  for  years  or  submit  to  the  outrage 
of  discounting  or  trading  out  their  claims. 

“Another  great  injustice  we  have  discovered  is  that 
in  some  cases  the  Treasurer  will  receive  from  one  party 
a  certain  amount  of  his  taxes  in  countv  orders  and  from 

c/ 

others  he  will  take  none,  and  in  some  instances  he  will 
take  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  taxes  in  orders,  thus  admit¬ 
ting  the  possession  of  funds  for  the  County.  We,  there¬ 
fore,  recommend  that  the  Treasurer,  for  the  various 
reasons  stated,  be  removed  from  office  and  that  he  be 
indicted  for  official  misconduct.  We  are  informed  and 
believe  that  it  is  a  habit  of  the  Clerk  of  Court  to  absent 
himself  from  his  office  very  frequently  for  weeks  at  the 
time.  We  suggest  that  he  be  required  to  amend  his  con¬ 
duct  or  that  he  be  indicted. 

“We  have  examined  the  bonds  of  the  various  officers 
required  by  law  to  give  bonds  and  we  find  them  entirely 
insufficient.  The  roads  and  bridges  in  the  County  are 
in  a  bad  condition  and  in  some  instances  almost  impass¬ 
able.  Some  of  them  have  not  been  worked  in  two  years. 
The  poor  farm  we  have  not  been  able  to  visit  owing  to 
a  press  of  other  engagements  and  to  its  distance  from 
the  village  of  Ivingstree.  As  it  is  an  institution  of  very 


444 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


recent  origin,  we  have  not  been  able  to  ascertain  anything 
definite  as  to  the  number  of  inmates  or  the  manner  in 
which  it  is  conducted,  but  we  look  upon  it  as  an  insti¬ 
tution  of  very  doubtful  propriety,  as  we  fear  it  is  cal¬ 
culated  to  do  more  harm  to  the  County  than  good. 

“In  conclusion,  we  regret  that  there  are  and  have  been 
for  some  time  past  evidences  of  lawlessness  in  the  County 
in  which  persons  unknown  to  the  Grand  Jury  have  taken 
the  law  into  their  own  hands  for  the  redress  of  their  ag- 
grievances,  which  has  produced  in  the  County  a  feeling 
of  insecurity  and  unrest,  which  is  calculated  to  prove 
injurious  to  society.  To  correct  these  demonstrations 
or  to  guard  against  them,  we  are  informed  that  many 
persons  do  congregate  on  each  night  at  various  cross 
roads  and  bridges  with  arms  in  their  hands.  It  is  calcu¬ 
lated  on  each  side  to  make  matters  worse  than  thev  now 

«/ 

are,  instead  of  correcting  any  supposed  grievances.  We 
believe  in  a  time  of  peace  that  all  violations  of  law  should 
be  submitted  to  the  proper  tribunal  for  the  redress  which 
the  offended  law  does  provide,  and  we  therefore  condemn 
all  such  demonstrations  as  inexpedient  and  dangerous  to 
the  very  existence  of  society  and  peace  of  the  country, 
all  of  wThieh  is  respectfully  submitted.” 

“On  motion  of  Solicitor  S.  T.  Atkinson,  it  was  ordered 
that  copies  be  served  on  all  concerned  and  that  the  solici¬ 
tor  take  as  early  steps  as  possible  to  institute  such  pro¬ 
ceedings  as  may  be  necessary  to  bring  to  trial  and  punish¬ 
ment  the  several  county  officers  and  all  persons  that  may 
be  implicated  in  the  official  misconduct  and  corruption 
reported  by  the  Grand  Jury.  Finally,  it  was  ordered  that 
a  certified  copy  of  the  presentments  be  made  by  the  clerk 
and  be  sent  to  His  Excellency,  the  Governor  of  the  State.” 

In  1867,  the  Williamsburg  County  Jail  was  burned. 
Within  it  were  twenty-seven  negro  prisoners  who  perished 
in  the  flames.  Sometime  during  the  night,  the  one  white 
prisoner  incarcerated  at  the  time  set  fire  to  the  floor  of 


RECONSTRUCTION 


445 


the  building,  burning  a  hole  therein,  through  which  he 
alone  escaped.  Before  the  cries  of  the  negro  prisoners 
were  heard,  it  was  too  late  to  save  them.  Their  destruc¬ 
tion  was  the  most  pathetic  circumstance  in  the  history 
of  the  County. 

For  seven  years,  under  this  Republican  rule,  Williams¬ 
burg  County  had  no  jail.  Its  offenders  against  the  law 
were  sometimes  crowded  into  one  of  the  offices  of  the 
Court  House  and  there  locked  up,  allowed  to  roam  the 
streets  at  will  or  in  charge  of  highly  paid  negro  guards, 
or  imprisoned  in  neighboring  county  jails.  The  cost  of 
transporting  the  average  prisoner  to  and  from  a  jail  in 
Charleston  or  Georgetown  during  this  period  was  sixty 
dollars. 

After  the  county  jail  had  finally  been  completed  at 
the  usual  Republican  cost,  the  Grand  Jury  of  1875  re¬ 
ported  that  “There  has  been  a  great  negligence  upon  the 
part  of  those  charged  with  the  custody  of  criminals  and 
offenders  against  public  peace  and  welfare.”  It  finds  that 
“in  other  respects  the  officers  of  law  charged  with  the 
safe  custody  of  criminals  have  been  guilty  of  negligence 
or  malfeasance  and  especial  references  are  made  to  the 
escape  of  one  Bill  Shaw,  convicted  of  a  grave  offence 
and  sentenced  to  the  penitentiary;  also  to  the  escape  of 
one  Charles  Cooper,  charged  with  murder,  who  was 
taken  from  the  jail  by  the  jailer  and  other  persons  in 
charge  of  the  jail,  without  sufficient  authority  or  warrant 
of  the  law,  and  carried  to  the  Salters  Depot  on  the  North 
Eastern  Railroad  and  there  allowed  to  escape.  Another 
prisoner,  Tom  James,  confined  in  the  jail  on  a  charge  of 
larceny,  was  suffered  to  go  outside  of  the  prison  walls 
without  a  guard  and  thus  effected  his  escape.  These  va¬ 
rious  instances  of  escape  mark  a  course  on  the  part  of 
the  officers  of  the  law  that  seems  to  the  Grand  Jury  to 
be  criminally  negligent  and  the  public  welfare  demands, 
and  the  good  order  of  government  requires,  that  a  strong 


446 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


investigation  into  tlie  conduct  of  these  public  servants  be 
made.” 

Spring  term,  1875,  the  Grand  Jury  reported  that  al¬ 
though  the  County  Commissioners  have  power  to  grant 
license  to  retail  spiritous  liquors  in  not  less  quantities 
than  one  quart,  it  is  generally  the  habit  of  the  county 
merchants  all  over  the  County  to  sell  liquor  by  the  drink. 

November  term,  1875,  it  said:  “Our  people  find  it  dif¬ 
ficult  with  the  exercise  of  the  greatest  economy  to  make 
by  agricultural  pursuits  a  subsistence,  and  they  earnestly 
look  to  and  reasonably  expect  those  who  have  the  power 
to  make  the  laws  to  exercise  their  best  efforts  to  secure  a 
good  and  economical  government.”  This  came  after  the 
statement,  “This  large  sum  proved  insufficient  to  meet  the 
obligations  of  the  County  incurred  during  the  past  fiscal 
year.” 

Presentment  of  Grand  Jury,  November  term,  1876: 
“Since  the  last  session  of  this  honorable  court,  a  com¬ 
mittee  of  the  Grand  Jury,  assisted  by  three  citizens, 
has  given  fourteen  days  to  inquiry  into  the  county  offices. 
Our  attention  has  been  confined  to  the  office  of  the  County 
Commissioners,  School  Commissioner,  and  the  Treasurer. 
Our  investigation  reaches  back  but  three  years  and  covers 
but  in  part  the  transactions  of  those  years.  In  the  County 
Commissioners’  office,  Ave  found  ‘confusion  worse  con¬ 
founded’  so  that  to  refer  to  everything  to  which  exception 
might  be  taken  would  be  an  endless  undertaking.  We 
therefore  cite  a  few  cases  from  the  many  as  examples  for 
the  consideration  of  the  court.” 

This  committee  of  three  was  composed  of  T.  M.  Gil- 
land,  G.  S.  Cooper,  and  John  E.  Scott.  The  labors  of 
this  Jury  and  this  committee  saved  the  County  many  thou¬ 
sands  of  dollars  and  brought  punishment  to  several  gross 
malefactors. 

There  came  out  of  Potters  Raiders  to  Williamsburg 
a  Pennsylvania  negro  named  Stephen  A.  Swails.  It  Avas 


RECONSTRUCTION 


447 


not  then  known  that  he  had  been  one  of  this  band,  but 
often  suspected.  Had  it  been  known,  the  first  one  of  at 
least  a  hundred  men  in  Williamsburg  who  saw  him  would 
have  shot  him  like  a  snake.  S wails  was  an  educated 
negro  and  had  much  natural  ability.  Almost  from  the 
hour  of  his  arrival  in  Williamsburg  until  he  was  driven 
away  by  the  outraged  whites  of  the  County,  he  had  an  urn 
cannv  influence  over  the  negroes.  He  was  elected  the 
first  senator  from  Williamsburg  after  the  War  and  held 
this  high  office  until  South  Carolina  was  redeemed  from 
Republican  rule.  In  1872,  Swails  was  elected  president 
pro  tempore  of  the  State  Senate  and  for  nearly  two  years 
would  have  succeeded  to  the  governorship  of  the  State 
had  anything  happened  to  disqualify  the  carpet  bagger 
in  that  chair. 

There  were  no  white  people  in  Williamsburg  who  had 
been  born  here  who  were  Republicans  in  this  reconstruc¬ 
tion  period.  There  were  a  few  men  who  had  served  in 
the  Confederate  Army  from  other  parts  of  South  Carolina 
who  settled  here  after  the  War  and  who  became  Republi¬ 
cans.  These  men  filled  the  lucrative  offices  in  the  County 
during  the  reconstruction  period.  As  a  general  rule, 
during  this  time,  negroes  were  elected  to  the  Legislature. 
A  half  decently  honest  man  could  not  make  any  money 
out  of  the  legislative  offices. 

As  a  general  rule,  Republican  office  holders  gave  re¬ 
spectful  consideration  to  all  of  the  natural  ruling  element 
in  the  County.  They  were,  however,  placed  in  office  by 
the  negro  vote  and  were  never  forgiven  by  many  men  who 
lived  during  the  reconstruction  period.  The  county  offi¬ 
cers  of  Williamsburg  during  the  Republican  rule  were 
generally  tolerable  except  from  a  financial  standpoint  and 
some  of  them  were  honest  men.  All  of  them,  however, 
accepted  what  the  Legislature  allowed.  The  legislators 
of  South  Carolina  from  1870  until  1870  seem  to  have  done 
their  utmost  to  confiscate  all  the  property  of  the  State 


448 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  to  have  placed  all  confiscated  property  within  the 
reach  of  the  politicians  and  office  holders  of  their  time. 

The  members  of  the  Legislatures  of  South  Carolina 
between  1870  and  1876  seem  to  have  been  able  to  buy  any¬ 
thing  which  their  fancies  dictated  and  charge  same  to 
the  account  of  the  State.  In  1871,  the  State  of  South 
Carolina  paid  for  members  of  the  Legislature  under  the 
item  “sundries,  wines,  liquors,  cigars,  groceries,  and  dry 
goods,  $281,514.50.”  These  “black  and  tan”  legislators 
bought,  on  credit  of  the  State,  Heidseck,  Yerzenay,  Moet 
and  Chandon  champagne ;  Mozelle,  Chateau  la  Rose,  Chat¬ 
eau  la  Fitte,  Madeira,  and  Malaga  wines;  Otard-du-Puy 
Brandy,  French  Cognac,  Cabinet  Rye,  Best  Kentucky 
Bourbon,  and  Holland  Gin.  They  smoked  Brevas,  Por- 
tugas,  and  Conchas,  the  best  imported  cigars,  at  the  ex¬ 
pense  of  the  State.  They  fed  themselves  on  Westphalia 
hams,  Edam,  Switzer,  and  English  cheese,  fresh  Norfolk 
oysters,  French  chocolate,  imported  mushrooms,  preserved 
ginger,  gauva  jelly,  and  bran  died  peaches  on  the  account 
of  the  State  of  South  Carolina.  They  bought  Gothic 
chairs,  marble  top  bureaus,  finest  plush  velvet  tete  a  tetes, 
English  tapestry,  Brussels  carpets,  Irish  linens,  Marseilles 
quilts,  imported  extra  long  silk  stockings,  whalebone,  gold 
and  diamond  rings,  and  paid  for  them  out  of  taxes  col¬ 
lected  bv  levies  on  the  land  in  the  State  of  South  Caro- 
%/ 

lina. 

Printing  the  State  laws  from  1871  to  1873  cost  South 
Carolina  $1,160,565.00;  newspapers  for  members  of  the 
Legislature  during  this  period  cost  the  State  $19,749.00; 
stationery  for  the  Legislature  during  the  two  years  from 
1871  to  1873  cost  $108,865.39. 

These  unrestrained  Legislatures  were  creating  an  im¬ 
possible  condition  in  South  Carolina  when  a  tax  payers’ 
convention  was  called  in  Columbia  on  February  17,  1874. 
Delegates  attended  from  every  County  in  this  State.  This 
convention  called  attention  to  the  existing  conditions 


RECONSTRUCTION 


449 


under  Republican  rule  to  all  the  world,  and  honest  public 
opinion  from  outside  the  State  gave  much  aid  to  the  long 
suffering  “natural  ruling  element”  in  South  Carolina.  The 
members  of  this  taxpayers’  convention  from  Williams¬ 
burg  w-ere  James  McCutchen,  S.  W.  Maurice,  N.  M.  Gra¬ 
ham,  W.  D.  Knox,  and  T.  M.  Gilland. 

Not  only  was  the  “bottom  rail  on  top”  during  this  re¬ 
construction  period  and  everybody  in  the  County  angry 
nearly  all  the  time  on  account  of  political  conditions, 
but  economic  conditions  were  most  serious.  A  majority 
of  the  large  land  owners  in  the  County  actually  had  diffi¬ 
culty  in  securing  a  sufficient  amount  of  currency  to  pay 
their  taxes.  Taxes  on  land  during  this  period  were  con¬ 
fiscatory.  Samuel  Ruffin  Mouzon  says  that  the  taxes  on 
a  certain  plantation  which  he  owned  were  $14.00  under 
the  military  government  after  the  War  and  on  the  same 
land  were  $400.00  a  year  during  reconstruction  under 
negro  legislation. 

About  the  only  thing  produced  in  Williamsburg  for 
market  was  cotton.  Little  of  this  was  grown  during  this 
period  for  the  reason  that  the  whites  either  did  not  know 
how  to  produce  it  or  would  not  do  manual  labor,  nor  did 
the  negroes  sober  up  from  their  political  debauch  suffi¬ 
ciently  to  work.  The  negroes  who  cultivated  cotton,  as 
a  general  rule,  rented  land  from  their  former  masters  and 
worked  as  little  as  they  could,  producing  but  nominal 
crops.  The  prices  they  obtained  for  cotton  were  consider¬ 
able.  Just  after  the  War,  it  brought  $1.00  per  pound. 

What  cotton  was  produced  in  Williamsburg  during  this 
reconstruction  period  caused  more  trouble  in  the  County 
than  everything  else  combined,  within  which  is  included, 
of  course,  the  political  disturbances.  These  negroes  rented 
land,  promising  to  pay  the  landlords  out  of  the  cotton 
grown  on  the  land.  As  a  general  rule,  these  negroes 
were  so  careless  in  their  working  that  their  cotton  crops 
amounted  to  little  more  than  they  had  agreed  to  pay  as 


450 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


rent.  Seed  cotton  then  sold  at  high  prices.  The  average 
negro  then  had  a  very  uncertain  conception  of  honesty. 
He  had  spent  nearly  all  of  his  life  as  a  slave  and  had  been 
accustomed  to  regard  himself  as  “Massa’s  negro”  and 
whatever  Massa  had  as  belonging  to  him.  Nero,  of  Indian- 
town,  answered  satisfactorily  the  austere  Session  of  Elders 
when  he  was  charged  with  theft  by  using  this  idea. 

There  were  in  the  County  a  number  of  white  merchants 
who  could  not  resist  the  temptation  presented  when 
negroes  offered  to  sell  them  seed  cotton,  even  though  they 
knew  that  these  negroes  had  not  paid  their  landlords. 
Nearly  all  merchants  at  this  time  sold  whiskey,  and  it 
was  a  very  easy  matter  to  shoulder  a  small  sack  of  seed 
cotton  at  night  and  barter  it  to  one  of  these  merchants 
for  a  quart  of  whiskey.  Some  of  these  unscrupulous 
merchants  even  sent  wagons  about  the  country  at  night 
for  the  purpose  of  buying  this  seed  cotton  from  the  ne¬ 
groes,  knowing  full  well  that  the  negroes  had  stolen  it. 

This  illicit  sale  of  seed  cotton  resulted  in  most  serious 
consequences  all  over  the  County.  The  civil  authorities 
had  little  or  no  control  over  the  condition.  Negro  juries 
would  seldom  convict  either  the  reprobate  merchant  who 
had  bought  or  the  less  guilty  negro  who  had  sold.  Fre¬ 
quently  plantation  cotton  gins  were  burned.  The  land¬ 
lords  exhausted  all  their  legal  remedies  in  trying  to  cure 
this  situation  without  any  appreciable  results,  except  the 
burning  of  their  cotton  gins.  It  was  then  that  the  land¬ 
lords  used  some  measures  that  were  not  sanctioned  by  law. 
Many  of  these  thieving  merchants  were  given  severe  beat¬ 
ings  and  were  otherwise  shown  that  they  were  undesir¬ 
able  citizens.  The  great  amount  of  trouble  which  the 
illicit  sale  of  seed  cotton  has  given  in  South  Carolina 
explains  the  number  and  severity  of  the  laws  prohibiting 
its  sale. 

During  this  reconstruction  period  in  South  Carolina, 
when  the  negroes  and  their  white  leaders  controlled  and 


RECONSTRUCTION 


451 


dictated  the  policy  of  all  the  agencies  and  functions  of 
government,  the  “natural  ruling  element”  could  not  have 
endured  conditions  had  no  Ku  Klux  Klan  existed.  This 
Invisible  Empire  which  existed  in  the  “Black  Border” 
during  the  reconstruction  was  the  most  daring  and  suc- 
cessfullv  consummated  scheme  ever  actualized.  Clans 

t/ 

were  organized  all  over  this  section.  While  sometimes 
physical  force  was  utilized  by  them,  their  great  weapons 
were  superstition  and  secrecy.  That  man  who  first  reali¬ 
zed  that  a  few  good  actors,  hooded  and  gowned  in  the 
costume  of  “haunts,”  could  control  and  absolutely  and 
religiously  determine  the  conduct  of  thousands  of  negroes 
deserves  an  imposing  monument  in  Dixie.  A  few  of  these 
clansmen  visiting  negro  congregations  at  night,  and  per¬ 
forming  sleight  of  hand  tricks  and  mystical  rites,  generally 
proved  all  that  was  necessary  to  make  all  the  negroes  of 
such  communities  conscientiously  observe  whatever  law 
and  procedure  they  understood  these  clansmen  to  require. 
While  it  may  be  true  that  this  Ku  Klux  Klan  used  severe 
measures  in  some  cases,  it  is  highly  probable  that  even 
more  than  ninety-nine  per  centum  of  its  efficiency  came 
out  of  the  superstitious  awe  with  which  it  was  regarded 
by  all  of  the  negroes  and  a  majority  of  the  worthless, 
ignorant  whites.  There  is  nothing  more  beautiful  in 
American  history  than  the  service  the  Ku  Klux  Klan 
rendered  in  the  Black  Border  during  the  reconstruction 
period.  This  organization  more  than  anything  else  made 
women  safe. 


When  all  things  are  considered,  it  will  be  realized  that 
negroes  behaved  remarkably  well  during  this  reconstruc¬ 
tion  period.  They  had  just  been  freed  by  executive  power, 
knew  nothing  of  the  rights  and  responsibilities  of  Ameri¬ 
can  citizenship,  nor  had  any  of  their  ancestors  reached 
the  point  they  themselves  held  just  before  emancipation. 
There  have  been  cases  in  history  where  men  have  been 
enslaved  for  a  time  and,  when  suddenly  emancipated,  be- 


452 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


came  worthy  citizens.  In  these  cases  the  races  had  reached 
a  high  degree  of  civilization  before  enslavement.  The 
African  negro  had  reached  his  highest  development  on  the 
day  of  emancipation.  By  law  African  slaves  in  the  South 
had  been  prohibited  from  learning  how  to  read  and  write. 
A  system  of  patrols  had  kept  them  on  their  respective 
plantations,  reducing  assembling  and  communicating 
among  them  to  an  inconsiderable  minimum.  When  eman¬ 
cipated,  they  did  not  understand,  they  were  “blasted  with 
excess  of  sight,”  “drunk  with  sight  of  power.”  They  had 
a  vague,  indefinable  idea  that  they  had  been  liberated  by 
the  Yankees,  and  probably  a  majority  of  them  believed 
that  their  emancipation  was  a  consummation  desirable. 

Immediately  after  emancipation  there  came  among 
them  that  contemptible  element  that  follows  in  the  wake 
of  armies  to  gather  what  it  can  from  the  helpless,  dying, 
and  the  dead.  These  pale  faced  ghouls  came  and  affiliated 
with  the  negroes,  ate  at  their  tables,  slept  with  them,  thus 
appealing  through  that  strongest  desire  of  all  in¬ 
ferior  races  for  social  equality  with  a  higher  race.  These 
indescribable  things  called  white  men  gained  a  certain 
degree  of  influence  among  them.  Further,  these  contempt- 
ibles,  or  by  whatsoever  name  known,  promised  these  ne¬ 
groes  that  the  United  States  government  would  support 
them  and  would  finally  give  them  the  lands  of  their  former 
masters.  They  assured  the  negroes  that  they  had  but  to 
possess  the  land,  and  that  the  Republican  party  would 
assist  them  in  possessing  it.  These  scallawags  knew  that 
Lincoln  was  dead  and  that  there  was  no  strong  arm  in 
the  land  to  stay  the  fury  of  fanatical  abolitionists.  Per¬ 
haps  some  of  their  promises  to  the  negroes  had  an  iota  of 
sincerity.  These  carpet  baggers  realized  that  there  were 
more  negroes  in  the  State  of  South  Carolina  than  there 
were  whites,  and  they  were  satisfied  that  the  national 
Congress,  so  long  as  dominated  by  fanatics,  would  make 
South  Carolina  a  happy  hunting  ground  for  ghouls. 


RECONSTRUCTION 


453 


Negroes  labored  during  this  reconstruction  period  as 
little  as  possible.  They  were  taught  to  obtain  from  the 
whites  everything  they  could.  Their  unmoral  condition  was 
largely  responsible  for  their  errors  both  of  ommission  and 
commission.  This  tendency  on  the  part  of  the  negroes 
as  nearly  as  possible  to  take  all  and  give  none  had  a 
serious  influence  on  the  landlords  of  the  County.  Land¬ 
lords  realized  that  their  negro  tenants  endeavored  by  every 
means  known  to  escape  their  commercial  obligations. 
This  knowledge  and  this  continued  practice  on  the  part 
of  negroes  made  many  theretofore  honest  landowners 
swerve  from  the  paths  of  righteousness  in  that  some  of 
them  took  all  within  their  power  from  their  negro  ten¬ 
ants.  The  negroes  at  this  time  had  a  saying,  "Naught’s 
a  naught,  and  five’s  a  Agger,  all  for  the  white  man  and  none 
for  the  nigger.”  In  a  vast  majority  of  cases,  after  the 
white  men  had  computed  the  cost  of  feeding  the  negro 
all  the  year  and  added  his  rent,  the  proceeds  of  the  negro’s 
crop  would  not  pay  this  amount.  Sometimes,  however, 
there  was  surplus  which  the  negro  should  have  received 
but  which  he  did  not  get.  The  feeling  that  some  few  white 
landlords  have  in  this  year  1923  that  they  may  make  an 
inventory  of  what  their  negro  tenants  produce  and  take 
practically  all  is  one  of  the  most  contemptible  things  the 
reconstruction  period  left  in  Williamsburg.  There  exists 
but  a  trace  of  this  feeling,  but  the  trace  remains. 

In  187 6,  the  white  people  of  the  State  of  South  Carolina 
realized  that  negro  Republican  rule  in  the  State  could 
no  longer  be  tolerated  and  Scotch-Irish  emergency  action 
began.  Many  fanatical  abolitionists  had  gone  into  the 
unknown  between  1866  and  1876,  and  there  was  in  the 
governor’s  chair  in  Columbia  a  former  citizen  of  the  State 
of  Massachusetts,  one  of  a  high  degree  of  intelligence  and 
with  some  idea  of  righteousness.  There  have  been  times 
when  it  is  said  that  even  the  Holy  One  "winked  at  things,” 
and  one  can  scarcely  doubt  now  that  Governor  D.  H. 


454 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Chamberlain  really  rejoiced  at  what  South  Carolina 
brought  forth  in  that  second  ?76.  It  must  not  be  under¬ 
stood  that  Governor  Chamberlain  assisted  the  Democrats 
in  South  Carolina  in  forever  redeeming  the  State  from 
the  rule  of  his  party.  It  is  true,  however,  that  he  might 
have  done  many  more  things  than  he  did  to  have  ham¬ 
pered  and  hindered  that  second  Revolution  in  the  State. 
He  evidently  looked  on  the  desperate  leaders  of  the  white 
people  with  great  admiration. 

On  December  23,  1875,  the  white  citizenship  of  South 
Carolina  began  to  write  the  last  chapter  in  the  history 
of  negro  domination  in  the  State.  Colonel  Thomas  Y. 
Simons,  of  Charleston,  a  member  of  the  National  Demo¬ 
cratic  Executive  Committee,  summoned  each  member  of 
the  Democratic  State  Central  Committee  to  a  meeting  in 
Columbia  on  January  6,  1876.  This  committee  charged 
one  man  in  every  county  in  South  Carolina  with  the 
organization  of  the  party  in  every  precint,  ward,  and  town¬ 
ship  in  his  respective  county.  These  county  organizers 
were  charged  with  conducting  the  Hampton  Redemption 
campaign  of  1876.  Captain  Samuel  W.  Maurice  was  this 
man  in  Williamsburg.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Demo¬ 
cratic  clubs  were  organized  in  every  community  in  South 
Carolina,  which  Democratic  clubs  have  dominated  the 
political  policy  of  the  State  until  this  time. 

The  Democratic  State  Convention  met  in  Columbia  on 
May  4,  1876,  although  the  white  people  were  in  the  mi¬ 
nority,  to  nominate  and  elect  a  “straightout”  Democratic 
ticket.  Prior  to  this  time,  some  of  the  best  men  in  the 
State  had  believed  it  expedient  to  compromise  with  the 
Republicans  and  thus  secure  the  election  of  the  best  man 
from  that  party  for  governor.  From  Williamsburg,  the 
members  of  this  May  convention  were  T.  M.  Gilland, 
James  McCutchen,  W.  H.  Nettles,  and  Thomas  R.  Greer. 

A  second  convention  was  called  for  August  15, 
1876,  for  the  purpose  of  announcing  a  platform  of 


RECONSTRUCTION 


455 


principles,  nominating  candidates  for  state  offices  for 
the  Democratic  party,  and  for  considering  such  other 
business  as  might  come  before  it.  From  Williamsburg 
in  this  convention  were  W.  H.  Kennedy,  S.  T.  Cooper, 
and  J.  A.  May.  It  was  this  convention  that  nominated 
General  Wade  Hampton  for  governor  and  adopted  the 
Democratic  platform  on  which  the  white  people  of  South 
Carolina  stood  and  regained  control  of  the  State. 

Williamsburg  County  was  one  of  the  Black  Border 
counties  of  the  State,  so  called  for  the  reason  that  the 
blacks  far  exceeded  the  whites  in  number.  While  nearly 
every  white  native  in  every  county  in  South  Carolina 
did  his  absolute  utmost  during  the  campaign  and  elec¬ 
tion  in  1876,  the  white  people  in  these  Black  Border 
counties,  of  which  Williamsburg  was  one,  must  be  re¬ 
graded  as  “first  among  equals”  in  their  heroic  endeavor 
and  abundant  accomplishment. 

There  was  in  Williamsburg  in  1876  onlv  one  white 
native  born  Republican,  and  he  shall  be  nameless  here  for¬ 
evermore.  Usually  when  a  long  contemplated  action  is 
consummated  on  a  broad  field,  some  men  on  account  of 
their  peculiar  fitness  and  valor  are  outstanding  in  their 
services.  Every  native  white  man  in  Williamsburg,  save 
one,  in  1876  gave  himself  absolutely  to  the  redemption 
of  the  State  from  negro  domination,  and  whatever  in¬ 
equalities  there  may  have  been  in  effectiveness  were  due 
to  differences  in  the  power  of  individuals.  Red  Shirt  organi¬ 
zations  were  formed  in  every  part  of  the  County.  Cap¬ 
tains  of  these  bodies  of  men  are  even  now,  fortv-seven 
years  thereafter,  justly  proud  of  their  titles.  John  A. 
Kelly,  Esq.,  Captain  of  the  Kingstree  Red  Shirt  Company, 
and  General  Hampton’s  special  officer  for  combat  in  the 
County,  reveres  his  Red  Shirt  title  beyond  all  others  that 
he  merits.  The  ancient  cannon  now  on  the  Court  House 
square  in  Kingstree  was  sent  here  for  his  use  on  the  elec¬ 
tion  day  in  November,  1876.  Captain  G.  P.  Nelson  loaded 


456 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


this  cannon  on  that  day  with  a  keg  of  nails  and  kept  it 
pointed  down  Main  Street,  where  thousands  of  negroes 
were  congregated.  It  is  said  that  Captain  Nelson  held  his 
hand  on  the  fuse  of  that  cannon  all  day  long  and  prayed 
most  fervently  from  sunrise  until  sunset  that  some  negro 
would  “start  something”  that  would  give  him  an  oppor¬ 
tunity  to  drive  those  nails  home. 

Late  in  the  afternoon  on  that  election  day,  Major  S. 
D.  M.  Byrd,  of  Scranton,  then  commanding  the  Red  Shirt 
Company  in  his  section  of  the  County,  considered  how 
very  calmly  and  quietly  the  election  had  been  conducted 
in  his  precinct  and  feared  that  something  might  be  going 
wrong  in  Kingstree,  so  he  and  his  hundred  red-shirted 
men  began  a  forced  march  to  Kingstree,  arriving  at  the 
Court  House  just  about  the  time  the  polls  closed.  Major 
Byrd  was  then  in  the  fullness  and  splendor  of  manhood, 
six  feet  six  inches  tall,  straight  as  an  Indian,  and  powerful 
as  a  Roman  gladiator.  When  he  arrived  at  Kingstree, 
everything  was  very  quiet.  He  was  charged  for  action, 
so  he  hurried  to  the  polls  on  the  second  floor  in  the  Court 
House  and,  gathering  one  of  the  negro  judges  of  election 
by  the  collar,  carried  him  suspended  at  arm’s  length  to 
the  door,  and  kicked  him  clear  the  steps  to  the  ground. 
This  incident  created  no  diplomatic  disturbances.  It 
simply  gave  zest  to  the  day. 

Since  Williamsburg  had  so  many  more  negro  voters 
than  whites,  the  Republican  county  candidates  were 
elected,  but  on  that  day  General  Wade  Hampton  and  a 
white  man’s  legislature  were  chosen  and  South  Carolina 
sang  its  song  of  deliverance  from  negro  domination.  The 
decade  between  1866  and  1876  made  the  Republican  party 
synonymous  with  negro  domination  to  South  Carolinians. 

There  is  much  of  the  heroic  in  the  history  of  South 
Carolina.  When  one  considers  the  War  of  the  Revolution 
in  this  State,  he  must  believe  that  human  nature  there  and 
then  reached  its  apex.  When  he  surveys  the  period  from 


RECON  STRUCTION 


457 


1861  until  1865,  lie  wonders  if  men  and  women  may  go 
farther  toward  that  which  is  most  beautiful  in  service. 
But  no  man  who  knows  the  history  of  South  Carolina  of 
18 1 6  hesitates  in  deciding  that  this  was  the  time  when  con¬ 
ditions  called  for  most  from  men  in  the  State,  and  found 
it.  Even  the  most  idealistic  philosophers  sometimes  feel 
that  “the  end  justifies  the  means.”  This  year  of  our  Lord, 
1876,  in  South  Carolina  took  men  far  afield  from  dilet¬ 
tante  ethical  idealism.  It  is  a  long,  long  story,  the  half 
of  which  has  never  been  told.  Men  seem  to  have  feared, 
even  when  they  knew,  to  tell  the  whole  truth;  but  when 
the  God  of  Things,  sitting  as  a  refiner  and  purifier  of  sil¬ 
ver,  looked  through  those  fierce  fires  into  His  Vessel,  He 
saw  His  own  image  reflected. 


CHAPTER  XXXIV. 


ANOTHER  WILLIAMSBURG. 

Williamsburg  groaned  and  travailed  in  pain  from  1866 
until  1876  when  another  Williamsburg,  the  child  of  rape, 
was  born.  But  the  mother  blood  was  strong  and  virile. 

Antebellum  Williamsburg  was  an  aristocracy.  Every 
planter  had  an  overseer  for  his  negro  slaves,  so  there  were 
practically  as  many  men  of  the  overseer  class  as  of  the 
planters.  Sometimes  these  overseers  doubted  that  God 
Almighty  wisely  ruled  the  Universe,  but  they  never  ques¬ 
tioned  the  omniscience  of  their  employers.  The  planters 
were  all  natives  to  the  soil.  Their  ancestors  had  been 
granted  this  land  before  the  American  commonwealth  was 
organized,  and  these  descendants  owned  it  by  every  right¬ 
ful  title.  These  overseers  were  “birds  of  passage.”  They 
came,  they  saw,  they  could  not  evercome.  The  stronger 
ones  departed  into  the  West.  One-tenth  of  the  population 
of  antebellum  Williamsburg  absolutely  controlled.  The 
nine-tenths  knew  little  and  cared  less  about  matters  of 
State. 

Another  force  made  supreme  this  nine-tenths  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  during  the  Reconstruction.  There  is  a  law  of 
Life,  not  known  but  felt,  which  spirit  and  matter  obey  in 
moving  towards  that  “one  far  off  divine  event.”  The  work¬ 
ing  of  things  under  this  law  made  what  is  known  as  the 
Reconstruction  in  South  Carolina.  The  unlimited  de¬ 
mocracy  which  the  abolition  hate  dominating  element  in 
the  North  forced  on  the  South  could  not  withstand  the 
strength  fighting  it.  The  old  aristocracy  could  not  over¬ 
come  the  powers  against  it — all  at  once.  By  compro¬ 
mise,  the  old  aristocracy  yielded  to  the  newly  arrived 
Caucasians  the  right  to  vote,  thus  bringing  about  the 
white  aristocracy  since  dominating. 


ANOTHER  WILLIAMSBURG 


459 


One  fearful  result  of  unlimited  white  suffrage  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  and  in  South  Carolina  has  been  the  lowering 
of  the  standard  for  qualification  for  public  service.  So 
many  times  the  “natural  ruling  element”  among  the 
whites  has  been  defeated  at  the  poles  that  the  majority 
of  this  class  has  seemingly  lost  interest  in  determining 
South  Carolina’s  temporal  affairs.  The  conservative 
class,  prepared  by  blood  and  education,  does  not  usually 

offer  candidates  for  office,  nor  show  a  virile  interest  in 

/ 

elections.  The  outcome  of  this  has  been  that  the  “bottom 
rail”  is  nearly  always  “on  top.”  Certainly,  many  of  the 
conservative  class  have  held  places  of  power  in  the  new’ 
State,  but  never  since  the  War  between  the  Sections  has 
the  “natural  ruling  element”  held  complete  control  of 
South  Carolina. 

A  dual  state  government  was  functioning  in  Columbia 
for  some  time  after  the  election  in  November,  1876.  The 
Democrats  claimed  that  General  Wade  Hampton  had  been 
elected  Governor  and  the  Republicans  maintained  that 
D.  H.  Chamberlain  had  been  legally  chosen.  Maxmilian 
Jacobs  was  elected  Clerk  of  the  Court  and  Louis  Jacobs 
Sheriff  of  Williamsburg  in  1876.  Maxmilian’s  commis¬ 
sion  as  clerk  was  signed  by  Wade  Hampton  as  Governor 
of  South  Carolina  while  Louis’  commission  as  sheriff  was 
signed  about  the  same  time  bv  D.  H.  Chamberlain  as  Gov- 
ernor  of  South  Carolina.  These  commissions  of  the 
Jacobs  brothers,  as  Williamsburg  County  officials,  were 
both  accepted  by  the  Courts  and  are  recorded  on  the  same 
page  in  the  Journal  of  the  Court  of  General  Sessions  of 
Williamsburg  County.  Finally,  General  Hampton  was 
recognized  as  the  legally  elected  and  duly  qualified  Gov¬ 
ernor  of  the  State  and  Chamberlain  and  his  nefarious 
crew  surrendered.  Then  ended  negro  domination  in  South 
Carolina. 

Williamsburg  elected  the  Republican  candidates  in 
November,  1876,  since  negroes  then  voted  and  the  County 


460 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


had  an  overwhelming  negro  majority.  S.  A.  S wails,  sen¬ 
ator,  John  Evans,  James  Peterson,  and  William  Scott, 
members  of  the  House  of  Representatives,  were  all  ne¬ 
groes.  It  must  be  remembered  that  although  the  county 
delegation  from  Williamsburg  was  composed  of  negroes, 
there  was  a  working  majority  of  white  Democrats  in  the 
State  Legislature.  M.  J.  Hirsch  was  at  this  time  elected 
Solicitor  of  this  judicial  district.  Although  placed  in 
office  by  negro  votes,  Mr.  Hirsch  used  common  sense  and 
good  judgment  in  his  official  conduct. 

Of  these  Republicans  who  controlled  the  County  during 
the  Reconstruction,  Louis  Jacobs  and  M.  J.  Hirsch  had 
been  faithful  Confederate  soldiers  and,  during  their  office 
holding  under  Republican  commissions,  they  always 
showed  reasonable  consideration  to  the  natural  ruling 
element.  The  venerable  H.  J.  Brown  savs  that  when  his 
father,  Levi  Brown,  was  killed  by  negroes  during  this 
period,  he  reported  the  matter  to  Sheriff  Jacobs  and  he 
was  commendably  zealous  in  fulfilling  the  functions  of 
his  office.  Once  during  this  period  Major  S.  D.  M.  Byrd 
came  to  Kingstree  for  the  purpose  of  paying  his  taxes. 
He  had  managed  to  secure  $30.00  in  money  and  that  was 
about  all  the  currency  he  could  command.  His  taxes  were 
due  and  he  had  computed  them  at  about  this  amount. 
Major  Byrd  went  to  the  office  of  the  Tax  Collector  to 
pay  them.  The  Tax  Collector  informed  him  that  they 
amounted  to  $100.00.  Major  Byrd  realized  that  this  was 
extortion  and  became  excusably  infuriated,  yet  was  power¬ 
less.  He  went  over  to  the  office  of  M.  J.  Hirsh,  Esq.,  and 
told  him  his  story.  Mr.  Hirsch  took  Major  Byrd’s  $30.00 
and  went  to  the  office  of  the  Tax  Collector  and  returned 
with  a  receipt  in  full  for  Major  Byrd’s  taxes  for  that  year. 
Williamsburg  remembers  much  to  the  credit  and  little 
to  the  condemnation  of  Louis  Jacobs  and  M.  J.  Hirsch, 
except  that  they  were  Republicans. 


ANOTHER  WILLIAMSBURG 


461 


The  Democratic  party  has  elected  every  candidate  for 
office  in  Williamsburg  County  since  1876.  A  result  of  the 
State  election  in  1876  was  the  amendment  to  the  Consti¬ 
tution  restricting  suffrage  by  requiring  an  educational 
qualification  or  property  ownership  essential  The  prac¬ 
tical  working  of  this  constitutional  amendment  was  the 
almost  entire  elimination  of  the  negro  as  a  voter  in  the 
elections  in  this  State.  Some  negroes  have  voted  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  since  ?76,  but  the  spirit  of  South  Carolina  has 
been  and  is  that  only  whites  shall  cast  ballots. 

The  transformation  wrought  by  white  control  of  the 
County  within  a  very  short  period  is  shown  from  the 
Grand  Jury  reports  of  1876,  and  those  of  1880.  In  1876, 
this  grand  inquest  from  the  body  of  the  County  declared 
“confusion  worse  confounded”  everywhere;  that  the 
County  was  fearfully  in  debt  from  the  fraud  and  negli¬ 
gence  of  its  officials;  that  the  Republican  built  jail  was 
defective  in  construction  and  insecure  and  that  prisoners 
escaped  at  will ;  that  the  roads  were  generally  impassable 
and  almost  all  bridges  dangerous;  that  the  books  and 
papers  of  the  County  Commissioners  were  unintelligible 
and  showed  shameless  criminal  use  of  public  funds;  that 
the  treasury  was  empty  and  jurors  were  vainly  hawking 
County  orders  about  the  streets  of  Kingstree;  that  crime 
was  prevalent  and  the  punishment  of  criminals  almost 
entirely  neglected. 

The  Grand  Jury,  May  term,  1880,  said:  “We  congratu¬ 
late  the  good  people  of  the  County  on  the  reduction  of 
crime  and  the  establishment  of  law  and  order  in  our  midst. 
At  the  present  term,  but  one  bill  of  indictment  has  been 
submitted  to  the  Grand  Jury,  which  is  high  evidence  of 

t  J  7  CD 

the  law  abiding  condition  of  the  County.  This  is  truly 
a  matter  for  congratulation  and  we  can  but  hope  that 
under  the  just  administration  of  the  law  this  excellent 
condition  of  things  will  continue.”  The  Grand  Jury, 


462 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


March  1883,  reported  that  the  County  was  out  of  debt 
for  the  first  time  since  1866. 

In  1883,  the  second  story  of  the  County  Court  House 
was  burned.  When  the  fire  was  discovered,  the  county 
officials  who  had  their  records  in  their  offices  on  the 
ground  floor  very  quickly  removed  their  books  and  papers 
from  these  offices.  The  second  story  was  burning  for 
three  days,  during  which  time  the  officials  learned  that 
their  offices  were  fire  proof  and  began  using  them  before 
the  embers  above  had  ceased  to  burn.  It  was  then  remem¬ 
bered  that  Architect  Robert  Mills,  the  same  out  of  whose 
mind  had  come  plans  for  the  Treasury  Building  and  the 
Washington  monument,  in  the  District  of  Columbia,  had 
erected  this  old  Court  House  in  his  younger  days  and  that 
he  builded  well.  Repairs  were  soon  made  by  a  committee 
composed  of  G.  P.  Nelson,  S.  I.  Montgomery,  and  J.  W. 
Gamble. 

In  1901,  an  addition  was  made  to  the  south  end  of  the 
Court  House,  so  that  the  building  became  as  now,  a  dig¬ 
nified,  substantial  structure  about  fifty  by  one  hundred 
feet.  The  Grand  Jury,  December  1901,  said:  “We  con¬ 
gratulate  the  County  upon  the  great  improvements  made 
in  repairs,  additions,  and  alterations  of  the  Court  House 
and  offices  and  trust  the  good  work  will  keep  apace  with 
the  present  progress  of  the  County.  Contractor  W.  R. 
Funk  deserves  the  commendation  of  the  citizens  of  the 
County  for  the  good  architecture  and  excellent  work  he 
has  done.  We  recommend  as  a  further  improvement  that 
a  neat  and  substantial  fence  be  erected  around  the  Court 
House  25  feet  from  the  Court  House  on  all  sides  thereof, 
giving  a  good  park  to  the  town  and  keeping  out  horses 
and  cattle  from  the  square.  We  also  recommend  that 
parties  who  are  now  using  a  part  of  the  public  square 
for  their  own  private  purposes  be  made  to  pay  a  mere 
nominal  sum  as  rent  so  that  no  question  can  arise  against 
the  County’s  title.” 


ANOTHER  WILLIAMSBURG 


463 


There  has  been  a  continuous  growth  towards  civic 
righteousness  in  Williamsburg  since  the  Redemption  of 
the  second  ?76.  Unmistakable  evidence  of  its  law  abiding 
citizenship  of  forty  thousand  souls  is  found  in  the  fact 
that  all  civil  and  criminal  courts  for  the  first  two  terms  of 
1923  were  annulled  for  the  reason  that  pending  business 
did  not  warrant  the  sessions.  Faithful  and  efficient 
county  officers  for  more  than  forty  years  have  helped 
make  such  a  condition.  Here  follow  their  names. 

In  1878,  Captain  S.  W.  Maurice  was  elected  senator 
but  died  before  the  convening  of  the  Senate.  Major  S. 
D.  M.  Byrd  was  chosen  to  succeed  him  and  served  until 
1888,  when  Dr.  A.  H.  Williams  was  elected.  Dr.  Williams 
died  in  1908  and  was  succeeded  as  senator  by  W.  L. 
Bass,  who  held  office  for  one  term  of  four  years.  E.  C. 
Epps  became  senator  in  1912  and  served  eight  years.  He 
was  succeeded  by  Hugh  McCutchen  who  died  in  office. 
S.  M.  Beasley  filled  his  unexpired  term.  In  1922,  S.  A. 
Graham  was  elected  senator. 

The  members  of  the  House  of  Representatives  since 
1876  have  been:  1878,  J.  R.  Lambson,  Z.  R.  Fulmore,  and 
S.  J.  Graham;  1880,  J.  B.  Chandler,  T.  M.  Gilland,  and 
Dr.  Robert  Henry;  1882,  R.  H.  Kimball,  William  Cooper, 
and  W.  S.  Camlin;  1886,  J.  B.  Chandler,  John  A.  Kelley, 
and  Edwin  Harper;  1890,  H.  E.  Eaddy,  S.  A.  Graham, 
and  D.  L.  Brown ;  1892-1898,  J.  H.  Blackwell,  E.  R. 
Lesesne,  and  W.  J.  Singletary;  1898,  George  W.  Davis, 
John  S.  Graham,  and  W.  H.  Kennedy;  1900,  John  S. 
Graham,  C.  W.  Wolfe,  and  S.  W.  Gamble;  1902,  J.  D. 
Carter,  Theodore  B.  Gourdin,  and  W.  M.  Keels;  1904, 
Theodore  B.  Gourdin,  W.  L.  Bass,  and  P.  S.  Wall;  1906, 
W.  L.  Bass,  John  S.  Graham,  and  Philip  H.  Stoll;  1908, 
W.  B.  Bryan,  John  S.  Graham,  and  R.  H.  Kellahan;  1910, 
W.  B.  Bryan,  J.  Davis  Carter,  and  J.  S.  Graham;  1912, 
B.  B.  Chandler,  J.  C.  Graham,  and  R.  H.  Kellahan; 
1914,  R.  J.  Kirk,  W.  J.  Smiley,  and  R.  H.  Kellahan ;  1916, 


464 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


J.  J.  M.  Graham,  S.  A.  Graham,  and  R.  K.  Wallace; 
1918,  S.  O.  Eaddy,  S.  A.  Graham,  and  W.  H.  Welch; 
1920,  W.  O.  Camlin,  D.  E.  McCutchen,  and  W.  O.  Godwin; 
1922,  E.  L.  Ard,  W.  T.  Rowell,  and  F.  R.  Hemingway. 

Dr.  John  F.  Brockinton  was  the  first  Democratic  sheriff 
after  the  Reconstruction.  He  was  elected  in  1880  and 
served  until  he  died  May  15,  1881.  He  was  succeeded  by 
his  son,  Joseph  E.  Brockinton,  who  held  the  office  until 
1892.  James  Dodd  Daniel  was  sheriff  from  1892  until 
1900,  George  J.  Graham  was  elected  in  1900  and  remained 
in  the  office  until  he  retired  voluntarily,  being  eighty  years 
old,  in  1920.  Henry  S.  Gamble,  incumbent,  succeeded  him. 

The  Clerks  of  the  Court  since  1880  have  been:  J.  H. 
Keels,  Swingle  Graham,  W.  W.  Grayson,  C.  W.  McClam, 
B.  C.  Whitehead,  S.  McBride  Scott,  H.  O.  Britton,  and 
John  D.  Britton,  incumbent;  Auditors,  Thomas  McCut¬ 
chen,  J.  W.  Ferrell,  H.  Z.  Hanna,  J.  D.  Daniel,  and 
J.  J.  B.  Montgomery  since  1902 ;  Treasurers,  W.  R.  Brock¬ 
inton,  J.  M.  Cooper,  R.  D.  Rollins,  W.  W.  Johnston,  J. 
W.  Cook,  and  R.  B.  Smith ;  Superintendents  of  Education : 
Dr.  S.  D.  McGill,  Captain  S.  J.  Snowden,  J.  J.  B.  Mont¬ 
gomery,  N.  D.  Lesesne,  William  Cooper,  J.  G.  McCullough, 
Raymond  Speigner,  J.  Y.  McElveen,  and  M.  F.  Mont¬ 
gomery;  Judges  of  Probate:  J.  P.  Mouzon,  C.  W.  Mc¬ 
Clam,  W.  W.  Grayson,  J.  Z.  McConnell,  E.  M.  Smith, 
W.  E.  Hanna,  S.  McBride  Scott,  P.  M.  Brockinton,  and 
W.  E.  Snowden. 

Immediately  after  the  War  between  the  Sections,  the 
office  of  County  Judge  was  created  for  Williamsburg,  and 
Lieutenant  Colonel  John  G.  Pressley  elected  Judge.  He 
resigned  to  migrate  to  California  in  1869,  and  Lieutenant 
Texas  B.  Logan  succeeded  him.  Judge  Logan  soon  re¬ 
signed  and  moved  to  Tennessee,  where  he  became  a  dis¬ 
tinguished  Jurist.  Charles  W.  Wolfe,  Sr.,  succeeded 
Judge  Logan,  holding  the  office  until  it  was  abolished  by 
the  “black  and  tan”  legislature. 


ANOTHER  WILLIAMSBURG 


465 


In  1880,  the  following  were  elected  County  Commis¬ 
sioners  :  W.  E.  Nesmith,  C.  W.  McClam,  and  J.  M.  Owens, 
Sr.  A.  P.  McCormick  was  Clerk  to  this  Board.  Among  the 
commissioners  since  that  time  have  been :  J.  W.  Gamble, 
G.  P.  Nelson,  S.  I.  Montgomery,  J.  J.  Morris,  T.  S.  Stuart, 
W.  R.  Brown,  Robert  Epps,  Charles  R.  Lesesne,  W.  B. 
McCollough,  J.  J.  Graham,  B.  B.  Chandler,  W.  H.  Camp¬ 
bell,  W.  W.  Kennedy,  R.  D.  Blakeley,  S.  J.  Singletary, 
O.  R.  Eaddy,  J.  C.  -Everett,  L.  P.  Kinder,  D.  E.  Mc- 
Cutchen,  J.  M.  Brown,  R.  B.  Fitch,  B.  N.  Stuckey,  H. 
D.  Ferrell,  Bartow  Smith,  J.  T.  Eaddy,  C.  A.  Heins, 
J.  W.  Chandler,  J.  M.  Williamson,  R.  W.  Smith,  and  J. 
R.  Barrow.  Those  who  were  clerks  to  the  Board  prior 
to  1905,  when  the  clerk  became  a  district  official  with  the 
title  of  Supervisor,  were :  W.  L.  Bass,  E.  G.  Chandler, 
J.  J.  Steele,  J.  J.  B.  Montgomery,  J.  N.  Hammett,  B. 
M.  Montgomery,  J.  G.  McCutchen.  Among  the  Super¬ 
visors  have  been  B.  B.  Chandler,  J.  J.  Graham,  J.  N. 
Hammett,  and  S.  J.  Singletary,  incumbent. 

Democratic  party  primaries  held  some  time  before  the 
general  election  in  November  determine  things  in  South 
Carolina.  Practically  all  whites  are  enrolled  on  Demo¬ 
cratic  club  lists  and  nearly  every  one  votes  in  the  pri¬ 
maries.  So  certain  are  the  candidates  chosen  in  these 
Democratic  primaries  for  election,  that  very  few  vote  on 
regular  election  days.  Some  negroes  are  registered  voters, 
not  a  sufficient  number  to  stimulate  interest  in  general 
elections. 

When  the  amendment  to  the  Constitution  of  the  United 
States  forced  women  suffrage  on  South  Carolina,  there 
were  probably  less  than  a  dozen  men  in  Williamsburg 
who  would  admit  favoring  it.  So  strong  was  the  senti¬ 
ment  opposing  the  voting  of  women  that  not  a  candidate 
in  Williamsburg  in  the  campaign  of  1922  would  openly 
advocate  the  registering  of  women  on  the  club  lists,  lest 
such  create  hostility  towards  him  among  the  men.  There 


466 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


were,  however,  about  three  hundred  white  women  in  the 
County  who  registered  on  the  Democratic  Club  Rolls  and 
voted  in  the  August  primaries.  The  first  woman  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  who  registered  for  voting  was  Mrs.  Helen  Scott 
Boddie. 

In  1922,  there  were  twenty-seven  Democratic  clubs  in 
Williamsburg,  with  a  total  enrollment  of  2,879  voters 
qualified  for  the  primaries.  These  were  as  follows : 
Bethel,  33;  Black  River,  40;  Bloomingdale,  44;  Cades, 
245;  Cedar  Swamp,  75;  Central,  63;  Earles,  158;  Gour- 
dins,  29;  Greelvville,  249;  Hebron,  92;  Hemingway,  229; 

.  Indiantown,  102;  Kingstree,  No.  1,  380;  Kingstree,  No. 
2,  241;  Lanes,  79;  Lenuds,  55;  Morrisville,  54;  Muddy 
Creek,  80;  Nesmith,  38;  Oak  Ridge,  33;  Pergamos,  83; 
Poplar  Hill,  60 ;  Salters,  112 ;  Sandy  Bay,  67 ;  Suttons, 
42 ;  Trio,  150 ;  Workman,  47 ;  A.  C.  Hinds  was  chairman 
of  the  County  Democratic  Executive  Committee  and  Wal¬ 
ter  Wilson  was  county  member  of  the  State  Democratic 
Executive  Committee. 


CHAPTER  XXXV. 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  SINCE  1880. 

Dr.  Samuel  D.  McGill  became  County  School  Commis¬ 
sioner  on  January  1 ,  1881,  and  filled  that  office  for  ten 
years.  The  other  members  of  this  school  commission  were 
T.  M.  Gilland  and  M.  J.  Hirsch.  It  was  during  this  decade 
that  public  schools  became  rooted  in  the  soil  of  Williams¬ 
burg.  Prior  to  this  time  it  had  been  considered  beneath 
the  dignity  of  the  “better  element”  to  patronize  “free 
schools,”  and  universal  education  had  not  been  regarded 
as  practical,  possible,  or  even  a  “consummation  devoutly 
to  be  wished.” 

Williamsburg  was  especially  fortunate  in  having  these 
three  men  to  determine  its  school  affairs  during  those  ten 
formative  years.  This  decade  may  be  called  the  silent 
epoch  in  the  history  of  the  County.  It  was  probably  the 
most  directing  period  this  section  ever  experienced.  Dr. 
McGill  had  taught  private  schools  in  various  parts  of  the 
district  for  many  years,  knew  everybody  intimately,  and 
had  the  saving  sense  of  humor.  Mr.  Gilland  was  a  trained 
lawyer,  knew  how  to  find  facts  out  of  conflicting  testi¬ 
mony,  and  was  firm  and  resolute  in  his  convictions.  Mr. 
Hirsch  had  remarkable  skill  in  pouring  oil  on  troubled 
waters.  Hardly  any  man  who  ever  lived  in  this  County 
ever  settled  more  teapot  tempests  than  he.  It  will  be 
recalled  that  when  the  Democrats  elected  Mr.  Hirsch 
to  this  commission  he  was  serving  under  Republican  elec¬ 
tion  as  Solicitor  of  the  district.  Fortune  Barr,  a  Demo¬ 
cratic  negro  and  an  interesting  mimic,  said  one  day  while 
entertaining  a  street  crowd,  “Mr.  Hirsch  he  see  de  Re¬ 
publican  ship  wuz  sinking  made  one  jump  en  lit  on  de 
deck  uv  de  Democratic  boat.” 

This  commission  divided  the  County  into  seventeen 
school  districts  and  appointed  the  following  trustees  for 


468 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


the  schools  in  the  several  districts :  1.  E.  R.  Lesesne, 

E.  P.  Montgomery,  S.  J.  Taylor;  2.  T.  E.  Salters,  J. 
M.  Cook,  J.  A.  Ferrel;  3.  J.  J.  Graham,  A.  W.  Chandler, 
W.  B.  McCollough;  4.  E.  J.  Parker,  A.  J.  Parsons,  R. 
P.  Hinnant;  5.  D.  Z.  Martin,  J.  W.  Marshall,  W.  S. 
Camlin;  6.  W.  H.  McElveen,  J.  B.  Price,  J.  M.  McClam; 
7.  J.  A.  Nexsen,  A.  J.  Smith,  William  Scott;  8.  W. 
D.  Snowden,  J.  S.  McCullough,  Dr.  J.  R.  Brockin- 
ton;  9.  S.  T.  Cooper,  J.  C.  Josey,  Rev.  J.  M.  Kirton; 
10.  J.  McB.  Graham,  J.  P.  Epps,  Rev.  Ben  Brown;  11. 
G.  S.  Barr,  William  Cooper,  Julian  Wilson;  12.  Cap¬ 
tain  J.  P.  Carraway,  W.  D.  Owens,  J.  B.  Davis;  13.  W. 
R.  Singletary,  S.  Kirby;  14.  D.  L.  Brown,  J.  A.  H. 
Cockfield,  T.  E.  James;  15.  H.  H.  Singletary,  M.  L. 
Jones,  W.  J.  Hatfield;  16.  W.  J.  Lee,  L.  Stacklev,  H. 
Z.  Graham;  17.  B.  C.  Whitehead,  R.  A.  Rouse. 

The  entire  amount  of  money  spent  for  all  public  school 
purposes  in  the  County  from  January  1,  1881,  until  Jan¬ 
uary  1,  1891,  including  buildings  and  repairs,  furniture 
and  fixtures,  teachers’  salaries  and  current  expenses  was 
$52,393.18.  Three  times  as  much  money  was  used  for 
paying  teachers’  salaries  and  current  expenses  in  the 
Kingstree  school  alone  in  1922  as  was  spent  for  all  school 
purposes  in  the  whole  County  in  1882.  It  must  be  re¬ 
called  that  Williamsburg  County  has  since  that  time  lost 
a  considerable  part  of  its  most  populous  territory  to 
Florence  County. 

Among  the  white  public  school  teachers  of  that  period 
were:  J.  L.  Barley,  Mrs.  S.  L.  Barrineau,  Miss  Sue  T. 
Barr,  Miss  C.  A.  Blackwell,  Miss  M.  A.  Brockinton,  Miss 
L.  A.  Brockinton,  Miss  F.  W.  Britton,  W.  R.  Brown, 
J.  J.  Brown,  Mrs.  M.  A.  Carter,  Miss  Dora  V.  Chandler, 
Mrs.  Ella  Collette,  Mrs.  M.  E.  Cockfield,  Miss  Mutie 
Cooper,  Miss  Mollie  Epps,  Isaac  Epps,  Rev.  Martin  Eaddy, 
Miss  L.  N.  Ervin,  Miss  S.  M.  Ervin,  Miss  L.  A.  Elliott, 
Miss  M.  Y.  Graham,  Miss  A.  M.  Henry,  A.  W.  Jackson, 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  SINCE  1880 


469 


Miss  Sue  K.  Keels,  Miss  M.  F.  Keels,  Miss  M.  R.  Lifrage, 
N.  D.  Lesesne,  Miss  Augusta  McConnell,  Mrs.  M.  B.  Mc¬ 
Connell,  J.  Z.  McConnell,  T.  M.  McCutctien,  W.  W.  Mat¬ 
thews,  Miss  M.  L.  Montgomery,  J.  J.  B.  Montgomery,  Mrs. 
S.  A.  Nelson,  J.  W.  Nelson,  W.  E.  Nesmith,  W.  P.  Nesmith, 
Mrs.  N.  O.  Poston,  Mrs.  S.  M.  Salters,  S.  R.  Mouzon,  Mrs. 
Carrie  Mouzon,  T.  M.  Scott,  Rey.  J.  W.  Shell,  E.  J.  Smith, 
Albert  Singleton,  Miss  H.  S.  Singletary,  W.  E.  Snowden, 
J.  P.  Shaw,  Mrs.  A.  L.  Simmons,  S.  J.  Snowden,  T.  B. 
Gourdin,  J.  F.  Watson,  J.  T.  Wilder,  Miss  Florence  Work¬ 
man,  Mrs.  E.  P.  Wolfe. 

Some  of  the  colored  school  teachers  were :  Augustus 
Brown,  J.  D.  Barr,  J.  S.  Cooper,  Mrs.  L.  M.  Cooper,  B. 
L.  Cooper,  J.  S.  Fulmore,  Jack  Gordon,  Mrs.  H.  Hanna, 
W.  M.  Hanna,  S.  S.  Hanna,  Miss  N.  A.  Harper,  Miss  M.  E. 
Mouzon,  H.  H.  Mouzon,  M.  M.  Mouzon,  M.  D.  McBride, 
James  M.  Eaddy,  Miss  R.  Z.  Montgomery,  J.  C.  Pender¬ 
grass,  W.  J.  Parsons,  Mrs.  M.  A.  Ransom,  Dick  Salters,  J. 
E.  Singletary,  W.  D.  Scott,  G.  K.  Summersett,  and  W.  G. 
Wilson. 

Charles  W.  Wolfe  wrote  in  the  issue  of  The  County 
Record  of  August  23,  1906 :  “Kingstree’s  excellent  school 
system  may  be  said  to  owe  its  origin  to  the  establishment 
of  the  Kingstree  Academy,  the  forerunner  of  the  present 
handsome  and  splendidly  equipped  school  building. 
Prior  to  that  time  the  efforts  to  tend  and  till  the 
pedagogical  field  in  Kingstree  were  haphazard  and 
without  concert  of  action  or  organization.  Finally  certain 
public  spirited  citizens  with  an  eye  to  the  town’s  present 
and  future  needs  resolved  to  bring  about  improvement  in 
the  then  existing  educational  conditions  and  as  the  result 
of  their  efforts  the  Kingstree  Academy  was  built.  This 
was  in  1886. 

The  first  principal  was  Mr.  S.  W.  Williams,  and  in 
the  order  named  followed  Messrs.  M.  M.  Lander,  N.  D. 
Lesesne,  W.  B.  Duncan,  E.  C.  Dennis,  C.  W.  Stoll,  T.  O. 


470 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Epps,  W.  W.  Boddie,  and  Ernest  Wiggins.  With  the 
election  of  Mr.  Boddie  came  the  adoption  of  the  graded 
school  system  and  the  merging  of  the  old  Academy  into 
Kingstree  Graded  School.  Then  came  an  awakening  along 
educational  lines  and  an  agitation  for  a  new  building,  the 
outcome  of  which  is  the  present  structure,  which  may  well 
be  termed  The  pride  of  the  town/  To  show  the  spirit 
that  animated  the  people  in  this  matter,  only  two  negative 
votes  were  cast  in  the  election  to  issue  bonds  for  the 
school  building  which  was  erected  in  1904.” 

The  board  of  trustees  of  the  first  graded  school  in 
Kingstree  were :  I)r.  D.  C.  Scott,  Chairman,  Louis  Stack- 
ley,  M.  J.  Hirsch,  Edwin  Harper,  and  Louis  Jacobs.  As¬ 
sisting  the  principal  as  teachers  at  that  time  were  Misses 
Amelia  Kennedy  and  Nina  Riser.  The  school  building 
then  stood  at  the  corner  of  Hampton  and  Mill  Streets, 
where  was  in  1923  the  Carnegie  Public  Library.  In  June, 
1902,  the  first  certificates  for  the  completion  of  the  course 
of  study  in  the  Kingstree  school  were  awarded  to  Misses 
Bessie  Harper,  Pearl  Koger,  Lorena  Ross,  and  Helen 
Scott.  The  three  first  named  entered  Winthrop  College 
and  the  last  the  College  for  Women,  Columbia,  the  fol¬ 
lowing  September,  all  graduating  with  high  class  rank 
in  due  time. 

Miss  Koger  died  of  pulmonary  tuberculosis  soon  after 
her  graduation  from  Winthrop  College.  She  was  the  only 
child  of  her  widowed  mother,  Mrs.  Ellen  Koger.  This 
writer  helped  Miss  Koger  learn  Arithmetic,  Algebra,  and 
Geometry,  Caesar,  Cicero,  and  Virgil,  something  of  Liter¬ 
ature  and  of  History.  She  had  one  of  the  brightest  minds 
and  one  of  the  most  beautiful  personalities  that  he  ever 
knew. 

William  Cooper  was  superintendent  of  education  in 
Williamsburg  from  1900  to  1910,  during  which  time  the 
first  graded  school  in  the  County  was  organized  in  Kings¬ 
tree,  and  later  others  at  Johnson ville  and  Union,  and  mod- 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  SINCE  1880 


471 


ern  school  buildings  erected  for  all  three ;  many  special  dis¬ 
tricts  were  established  and  communities  began  contribut¬ 
ing  towards  the  erection  of  school  buildings  and  voting 
special  tax  levies  for  supplementary  support  to  their  own 
institutions.  During  this  decade  a  majority  of  the  white 
people  in  the  County ,  for  the  first  time,  believed  that 
schooling  for  their  children  was  actually  worth  some 
time  and  money.  Furthermore,  that  small  minority  who 
in  all  the  history  of  the  County  has  educated  its  children 
in  college,  began  to  hope  that  it  could  depend  on  the  pub¬ 
lic  schools  for  the  high  school  grades. 

The  next  decade  from  1910  to  1920  almost  everybody 
in  the  County,  white  and  colored,  began  to  believe  that 
schooling  for  their  children  was  actually  worth  time  and 
money,  and  many  felt  that  it  was  worth  much  time  and 
money.  Sometime  during  the  last  days  of  this  decade  one 
or  two  parents  in  Williamsburg  actually  heard  Yah  well’s 
unuttered  reply  to  Cain’s  first  question,  and  realized  their 
duty  to  give  their  children  a  sound  and  various  learning, 
for  the  purpose  of  serving  their  fellowmen  as  well  as  for 
private  profit  and  power.  These  one  or  two  parents 
stretched  the  ribbon  streak  of  dawn  for  Williamsburg’s 
Day. 

Once  five  righteous  men  would  have  saved  Sodom. 
There  were  in  Williamsburg  in  1923  more  than  five  men 
and  women  who,  understanding,  were  educating  their 
children  for  the  highest  degree  of  citizenship.  There  were 
a  hundred  others  who,  seeing,  like  Browning’s  beggar, 
were  preparing  to  plunge.  Jocund  day  for  Williams¬ 
burg  was  standing  tiptoe  on  the  misty  mountain  top. 

Following  will  be  found  a  list  of  the  school  officials  of 
Williamsburg  in  1923.  Some  of  those  named  as  teachers 
were  worthy  of  the  designation  :  others  “kept”  school  hours 
for  wages.  One  cannot  know  who  teaches  from  one  who 
does  not,  until  the  harvest  time.  A  real  teacher  starts 
growing  out  of  a  mind  something  that  environment  can- 


472 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


not  stop.  Sometimes  a  mind  shows  few  recognizable 
signs  of  growth  for  many  years,  and  then  seemingly  all 
at  once  brings  forth  fruit  an  hundred  fold. 

The  County  Board  of  Education  in  1923  was  composed 
of  M.  A.  Shuler,  J.  G.  McCullough,  and  M.  F.  Montgomery. 
Mr.  Montgomery  was  Superintendent  of  Education.  Fol¬ 
lowing  are  the  names  of  the  white  schools,  their  trustees, 
and  the  teachers : 

Heineman :  Dr.  I.  N.  Boyd,  W.  E.  Blackwell,  and  Wal¬ 
ter  Scott;  Martha  Burgess. 

Suttons :  S.  B.  Gordon,  D.  W.  Gordon,  and  W.  W. 
Michau;  Mrs.  Ruth  Chandler  and  Pauline  Boyd. 

Sumter :  J.  M.  James,  W.  H.  Dennis,  and  Shelton  Wil¬ 
son  ;  Clara  Steele. 

Turkey:  R.  W.  Smith  and  W.  O.  Camlin;  Mamie  Lou 
Sharp. 

Hemingway :  B.  J.  Chandler,  L.  G.  Day,  and  D.  G. 
Huggins;  W.  D.  Halfacre,  Superintendent,  E.  L.  Rodgers, 
Ida  Lee  Parler,  Virginia  Galloway,  Lyde  Kennedy,  Dess 
Gowdy,  Effie  Zimmerman,  Lucia  Winn,  Iva  Geddings, 
Emmie  Snow,  Alma  Deloach,  Virginia  Warren,  Muriel 
Williams,  and  Blondelle  Cockfield. 

Muddy  Creek:  R.  K.  Johnson,  W.  A.  Larrimore,  and 
E.  C.  Cribb;  Janie  Newell,  Pauline  Stone,  and  Mrs.  Mat- 
tie  Stone. 

Kingstree:  Dr.  D.  P.  Frierson,  L.  W.  Gilland,  and  A. 
C.  Swails ;  J.  W.  Swittenberg,  Superintendent,  A.  H.  Bald¬ 
win,  H.  Bueck,  Laura  Lynch,  Lilia  Babb,  Agnes  Erck- 
mann,  Varina  McDaniel,  Elizabeth  Speigner,  Mrs.  M.  F. 
Montgomery,  Lillie  Pruitt,  Carrie  Lancaster,  Mrs.  Bettie 
Gwin,  Mrs.  G.  A.  McElveen,  E.  O.  Baker,  and  Mrs.  Ira 
Calhoun. 

Hebron :  Bartow  Smith,  J.  W.  DuBose,  and  B.  C. 
Baker;  J.  H.  Felder,  Wista  McElveen,  Mattie  Felder,  and 
Annie  M.  Epps. 

Taft:  J.  H.  Burkett,  S.  B.  Timmons,  and  D.  E.  Cooper; 
Thelma  Lockliear. 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  SINCE  1880 


473 


Greelyville :  T.  W.  Boyle,  F.  Mishoe,  and  J.  F.  Mont¬ 
gomery;  S.  P.  Stackley,  Superintendent,  H.  N.  Parnell, 
Effie  Chandler,  Thelma  Lunn,  Cornelia  Risher,  Mary 
Ratchford,  Estelle  DeHay,  and  Bertha  Blakely. 

Cades :  V.  G.  Arnette,  and  W.  I.  Hodges ;  C.  B.  Kirkley, 
Mrs.  C.  B.  Kirkley,  and  Mina  Gasqne. 

Cedar  Creek:  John  West,  John  Lucas,  and  W.  W. 
Wilson;  E.  Omitt  Walters. 

Cedar  Swamp:  W.  T.  Phillips,  R.  F.  Ward,  and  D. 
C.  Brown;  Mary  McColl,  Mnrtiss  Gantt,  Agnes  Riggs, 
and  Etna  Camlin. 

Pergamos :  W.  A.  Fitch  and  Dr.  L.  W.  Moore ;  T.  O. 
Sease,  Lucile  Allen,  and  Louise  Heins. 

Rough  Branch :  W.  H.  Foxworth,  J.  J.  M.  Graham,  Jr., 
and  J.  S.  Rodgers;  Caroline  Young. 

Salters:  T.  E.  Salters,  C.  W.  Boswell,  and  Walter 
David;  Lou  A.  Ferguson,  Ellen  T.  Chandler,  and  M.  D. 
Cooper. 

Fowler:  H.  M.  Burrows,  W.  E.  Burrows,  and  W.  C. 
Wilson;  Mrs.  W.  D.  Hanna. 

Lane :  J.  E.  Plowden,  Frank  Baggett,  and  P.  C.  Shirer ; 
A.  R.  Register,  Evelyn  Williams,  Dorothy  Williams,  and 
Ethel  Buchanan. 

Earle:  G.  W.  Camlin,  R.  M.  Haselden,  and  J.  W. 
Parsons ;  L.  E.  Smith,  Lorena  Lawrence,  and  Bertha  Ken¬ 
nedy. 

Nesmith :  G.  B.  Cooper,  W.  J.  Cooper,  and  J.  M.  Rod¬ 
gers;  Claudelle  Willis. 

Cantley:  W.  G.  Cantley,  J.  M.  Tisdale,  and  F.  P. 
Guerrv ;  Annie  Redman  and  Maude  Allene  Kinder. 

Aimwell :  R.  C.  Flowers,  W.  J.  Flowers,  and  R.  C. 
Mitchum;  Mabel  Jackson  and  Gladys  Avant. 

Wayside:  D.  C.  Scott,  Jr.,  M.  L.  McClarv,  and  R.  J. 
Parrott;  Ella  Ferguson  and  Sara  Burch. 

Trio:  W.  T.  Rowell  and  J.  H.  Rowell;  J.  D.  Mack¬ 
intosh  and  Eleanor  Owings. 


474 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Wee  Nee:  J.  B.  Player,  T.  D.  Gamble,  and  Hamer 
Stuart;  Lucile  Darwin  and  Pearl  Wallace. 

Belser:  J.  E.  Baker,  Fred  Hodge,  and  J.  H.  Coving¬ 
ton  ;  Ruby  Wallace. 

Carlisle:  T.  S.  Kellev  and  P.  M.  Brockinton;  Belle 
Harper  and  Mrs.  Edward  Yause. 

Mulberry :  J.  L.  Ferrell,  A.  B.  Spivey,  and  J.  J.  Brad- 
ham;  Emma  Lifrage  and  Allie  Montgomery. 

Johnson  Swamp :  Alfred  Moore,  Lex  Taylor,  and  E. 
M.  Lambert ;  Connie  Thompson  and  Elizabeth  Lewis. 

Bethel:  C.  L.  Burgess,  J.  S.  Epps,  J.  D.  Burgess; 
Mrs.  J.  M.  Duke. 

Singletary:  J.  J.  Epps,  W.  P.  Jordon,  and  L.  R.  Dick¬ 
erson;  J.  S.  Johnson. 

McClary:  J.  F.  Rodgers,  D.  H.  Hanna,  and  J.  A. 
Hanna;  P.  B.  Lockwood. 

Mt.  Vernon:  W.  R.  McCants  and  J.  S.  Frierson;  Mrs. 
Leamie  Boyd. 

Spring  Gully :  M.  L.  Boyd,  W.  T.  Evans,  and  Capers 
Boyd;  Mrs.  E.  E.  Bradham. 

Pinev  Forest:  S.  R.  Long,  G.  W.  Godwin,  and  Mack 
Benton  ;  Frances  Plexico  and  Evelyn  McConnell. 

Penn :  W.  R.  Chandler,  E.  J.  Donnely,  and  W.  M. 
Roberts,  trustees. 

Anderson :  J.  T.  McCants,  R.  W.  Blakely,  and  Henry 
Eliott,  trustees. 

King:  T.  A.  Johnson,  W.  J.  Epps,  and  Willie  McClary, 
trustees. 

Mingo :  B.  W.  McElveen,  W.  H.  Altman,  and  J.  J. 
Poston,  trustees. 

Ox  Swamp:  J.  B.  Morris,  O.  L  Thomson,  and  J.  L. 
Foxworth,  trustees. 

Indiantown:  H.  P.  Snowden,  J.  T.  Gaskins,  and  W. 
E.  Tanner;  Mrs.  S.  D.  Cunningham,  Mrs.  Ozzie  Lovett, 
and  Virginia  Wilson. 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  SINCE  1880 


475 


Clarendon :  B.  E.  McKnight,  W.  H.  Baker,  and  W. 
H.  Kennedy,  trustees. 

St.  John:  R.  E.  Turbeyille,  trustee. 

Wilson :  B.  B.  Chandler  and  D.  D.  Rhem,  trustees. 
Heywood:  W.  R.  Pritchett,  C.  C.  Daniel,  and  G.  H. 
Lovett,  trustees. 

Cooper :  G.  J.  Graham,  J.  B.  Lovett,  and  Willie  Cooper, 
trustees. 

Barrineau :  J.  B.  Osborne,  W.  H.  Thigpen,  and  J.  D. 
Floyd,  trustees. 

Spring  Bank :  G.  F.  Williamson,  R.  C.  McElveen,  and 
J.  W.  Stewart,  trustees. 

Marion  Branch:  W.  A.  Marshall,  Richard  McConnell, 
and  Hugh  Pipkin,  trustees. 

Sandy  Bay :  J.  N.  Coker,  A.  B.  McKenzie,  and  J.  N. 
McKenzie,  trustees. 

Black  River:  J.  Ted  Frierson,  J.  E.  Duke,  and  D. 
H.  Smith,  trustees. 

Wee  Tee:  O.  C.  Hinnant  and  W.  E.  Altman,  trustees. 
Bloomingvale :  Marian  McFadden  and  Ila  Cooper, 

teachers. 

Midway :  Ollie  Wade,  Bertha  Williamson,  and  Roberta 
Evans,  teachers. 

Oak  Ridge :  Adria  Lewis  and  Mrs.  Ruth  Hardee, 
teachers. 

Rock  Branch :  Gladys  Wham  and  Erline  Harrington, 
teachers. 

Bennett :  Mrs.  J.  O.  Amaker,  teacher. 

Beulah :  Sadie  Bates,  teacher. 

Birch  Creek:  Madge  Blakely,  teacher. 

Boyd  :  May  Cook,  teacher. 

Lenud:  Della  Harrelson,  teacher. 

Moss  Grove :  Mrs.  W.  D.  Daniel,  teacher. 

Mouzon :  Iva  L.  Moyd,  teacher. 

Mt.  Vernon :  Mrs.  Leamie  Boyd,  teacher. 

Neverfail :  Katie  Lou  Smith,  teacher. 


476 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Poston :  Mayme  McConnell,  teacher. 

Smith  Swamp :  Mrs.  G.  E.  Grier,  teacher. 

Warsaw:  Thelma  Marshall,  teacher. 

Union :  Ellen  Williams,  teacher. 

Retreat:  Charlie  Heins,  I.  C.  Player,  and  J.  A.  Brad- 
ham,  trustees. 

There  were  one  hundred  twenty-one  white  school  teach¬ 
ers  in  the  County  in  1923  and  one  hundred  fourteen 
negro  teachers.  Of  these  white  teachers  twenty-three  were 
teaching  by  virtue  of  special  permit,  and  forty-three  ne¬ 
groes.  The  State  school  law  requires  that  all  teachers  in 
the  public  schools  shall  hold  certificates  before  being 
paid  public  money  for  services,  except  by  special  permits 
which  may  be  granted  for  one  year  to  teachers.  This 
exception  practically  nullifies  the  effectiveness  of  the  cer¬ 
tificate  requirement.  It  makes  it  possible  for  a  board  of 
school  trustees  that  wishes  to  employ  some  favorite  who 
cannot  pass  the  examinations  required  for  a  certificate 
simply  to  request  the  County  Superintendent  to  issue 
a  special  permit  for  such  person. 

An  official  opinion  states  that  44%  of  the  white  teach¬ 
ers  in  Williamsburg  were  not  qualified  to  teach  above  the 
sixth  grade  and  14%  not  qualified  to  teach  primary  grades. 
From  a  standpoint  of  methods  of  teaching,  it  is  said  on 
authority  that  only  50%  of  the  white  teachers  of  the 
County  are  qualified  and  30%  of  the  negro  teachers. 

The  progress  made  in  public  school  service  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  for  the  past  score  of  years  certainly  has  not 
been  exceeded  by  that  in  any  other  county  in  the  United 
States.  Notwithstanding  this  remarkable  improvement, 
the  public  schools  of  Williamsburg  in  1923  hardly  gave 
50%  efficiency  for  the  money  expended.  There  may  be 
a  hundred  reasons  for  this  condition, — the  principal  one 
that  the  citizenship  of  the  County,  not  trained  itself,  re¬ 
quires  school  officials  and  teachers,  who  should  be  leaders 
and  directors  in  the  educational  work,  to  conform  and  to 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  SINCE  1880 


477 


follow  rather  than  to  lead.  In  other  words,  the  schools  are 
dominated  by  politics  and  a  school  official  or  a  teacher 
who  attempts  to  lead  beyond  where  the  parents  know  is 
immediately  eliminated  from  public  service. 

Another  reason  for  the  inefficiency  of  Williamsburg’s 
public  schools  is  that  the  average  Williamsburg  parent 
seems  to  desire  appearance  more  than  reality  in  the  school¬ 
ing  of  his  children.  A  popular  teacher  must  necessarily  give 
high  grades  and  promotion  to  the  children  of  the  leading 
citizens  of  the  community.  The  average  citizen  seems  to 
regard  paper  grades  and  paper  promotion  for  his  chil¬ 
dren  more  desirable  than  sound  and  various  learning.  The 
people  of  Williamsburg  almost  without  exception  now 
know  that  the  schooling  of  their  children  is  necessary, 
but  few  of  them  realize  what  education  is  and  how  it 
must  be  obtained.  With  the  money  available  for  public 
schools  in  Williamsburg  a  wise  and  generous  school  dic¬ 
tator,  one  who  knows  the  way  and  has  power  to  will  it, 
could  work  out  the  public  school  salvation  in  this  County 
in  a  single  decade. 

There  are  some  parents  in  Williamsburg  who  are 
obtaining  real  service  for  their  children  from  the  public 
schools.  Some  of  the  children  trained  in  Williamsburg’s 
schools  are  well  equipped  when  they  go  to  college,  but 
these  well  trained  are  exceptions.  All  of  the  high  schools 
in  South  Carolina  compete  every  year  in  a  debating  con¬ 
test  for  the  Manning  silver  loving  cup.  These  high  schools 
also  hold  a  recitation  contest.  In  1923  Jane  Smyth  Gil- 
land  and  James  F.  Cooper  won  the  Manning  cup  for  the 
Kingstree  High  School,  Miss  Gilland  winning  the  medal 
for  the  first  debater  and  Mr.  Cooper  that  for  second.  Miss 
Mary  Catherine  Epps  won  the  medal  for  the  second  best 
recitation.  Thomas  Merriman  won  third  prize  for  reci¬ 
tation.  The  Kingstree  High  School  baseball  team  at  the 
same  time  gave  an  excellent  account  of  itself  in  the 
athletic  contests  of  the  State.  These  high  school  pupils 


478 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


have  received  excellent  public  school  training.  Their 
parents  belong  to  that  class  that  require  service  from  the 
schools  and  receive  it.  It  is  the  function  of  the  public 
school  to  give  good  training  to  pupils  whether  the  parents 
of  these  pupils  are  of  sufficient  education  and  intelli¬ 
gence  to  require  it  or  not. 

There  are  some  teachers  in  Williamsburg  who  regard 
their  work  seriously  and  who  make  it  a  profession  and  a 
business.  J.  W.  Swittenberg,  B.  A.,  Newberry  College, 
1895,  came  to  Kingstree  as  superintendent  of  its  schools 
in  1910,  which  office  he  was  holding  in  1923.  Mr.  Swit- 
tenberg  has  taught  school  consecutively  for  twenty-eight 
years.  Since  1910  and  under  his  administration,  the 
Kingstree  High  School  has  granted  diplomas  to  thirty- 
eight  boys  and  seventy-one  girls.  Miss  Agnes  Erckmann 
of  Charleston  came  as  teacher  of  the  first  grade  in  the 
Kingstree  Graded  Schools  in  September,  1902,  which  po¬ 
sition  she  has  held  continuously  since  that  time.  Miss 
Erckmann  is  also  in  charge  of  the  Carnegie  Public  Library 
in  Kingstree.  During  her  long  service  in  the  Kingstree 
schools,  she  has  been  an  influential  factor  in  community 
life. 

While  the  white  schools  of  Williamsburg  have  made 
remarkable  progress  when  compared  with  those  of  other 
parts  of  the  country,  for  the  past  few  years  the  negro 
schools  in  Williamsburg  have  accomplished  even  greater 
things.  From  1918  until  the  present,  1923,  the  negroes  of 
Williamsburg  had  made  such  exceptional  improvement 
in  their  educational  conditions  that  it  seems  spectacular. 
In  1918,  the  negroes,  as  a  general  rule,  had  a  surplus  of 
money  for  the  first  time  in  their  history.  Be  it  recorded 
to  their  everlasting  credit  that  they  chose  to  use  this 
money  to  a  large  degree  for  the  education  of  their  children. 
They  went  about  this  work  seriously  and  with  more  intel¬ 
ligently  directed  energy  than  they  had  ever  shown  in  any¬ 
thing  else.  There  was  in  June,  1923,  but  little  difference 


PUBLIC  EDUCATION  SINCE  1880 


479 


between  the  school  obtained  knowledge  of  the  average 
twelve  year  old  white  child  and  the  average  twelve  year 
old  negro  child  in  Kingstree.  There  were  living  in  1923 
in  Williamsburg  a  number  of  negro  teachers  who  had 
given  long  and  faithful  service  in  their  schools.  Among 
these  may  be  mentioned  Mary  Murray,  thirty  years;  Bos¬ 
ton  Cooper,  twenty-five  years;  Hattie  Frierson,  twenty- 
five  years;  Lillie  Cooper,  fortv-fonr  years;  William  Mou- 
zon,  thirty  years;  J.  S.  Fulmore,  thirty  years;  David 
Fulton  had  been  principal  of  the  colored  schools  in  Kings¬ 
tree  for  fourteen  years. 

There  were  fifty-eight  school  districts  averaging  about 
sixteen  square  miles  each  in  the  County  in  1923.  There 
were  fifty-one  white  and  fifty-nine  colored  graded  schools, 
in  which  were  enrolled  10,931  pupils.  High  Schools  for 
whites  were  functioning  in  Kingstree,  Hemingway  and 
Greelvville,  with  a  total  enrollment  of  909.  There  was 
neither  a  private  nor  a  parochial  school  in  the  County. 
The  total  expenditures  for  all  school  purposes  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  in  1922,  amounted  to  $143,023.56;  value  of 
school  property,  $237,215. 

Desire  for  a  liberal  education  was  quick  in  Williams¬ 
burg  in  1923. 


CHAPTER  XXXYI. 

RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS,  1865-1928. 

The  several  churches  in  Williamsburg  were  usually  sup¬ 
plied  with  ministers  during  the  War  between  the  Sections, 
but  most  of  them  were  without  regular  pastors  during  the 
Reconstruction  period  and  for  many  years  thereafter. 
Few  churches  were  able  to  support  a  minister  during 
these  trying  times.  Even  as  late  as  1891,  when  the  Rev¬ 
erend  R.  W.  Spigner  was  first  licensed  as  a  local  preacher 
and  sent  to  the  Salters  Circuit,  for  two  years  he  was  the 
only  white  minister  of  any  denomination  residing  within 
that  more  than  three  hundred  square  miles  of  territory 
between  the  Santee  and  Black  Rivers  in  Williamsburg 
County.  And  then  he  was  licensed  only  to  preach  the 
gospel — was  not  authorized  to  administer  the  sacraments 
or  even  to  marry  a  couple. 

Most  of  the  heat  and  burden  of  religious  labor  for  one 
or  two  score  of  years  after  the  War  was  borne  by  saintly 
men  and  women  and  by  local  preachers  and  exhorters. 
The  outstanding  local  preacher  of  Williamsburg,  earnest, 
eloquent,  effective,  wrns  Daniel  Durant,  who  died  in  1922, 
more  than  four  score  years  of  age.  He  preached  the  simple 
gospel  all  over  this  County  and  his  preaching  brought  forth 
fruit  an  hundred  fold.  Some  of  the  especially  outstanding 
Christian  men  and  women  of  this  Santee  section  of  this 
period  may  be  mentioned,  William  J.  Clarkson,  Mrs. 
Elizabeth  Lesesne,  R.  P.  Hinnant,  Jack  Parsons,  Bradford 
Keels,  Dr.  Robert  Henry,  and  Dr.  James  M.  Burgess.  All 
other  sections  of  Williamsburg  had  such  beautiful  char¬ 
acters  as  these  named  from  the  Santee. 

The  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Church,  the  oldest  de¬ 
nominational  organization  between  the  Santee  and  the 
Cape  Fear  Rivers  maintaining  continuous  unbroken  ser¬ 
vice,  remained  on  its  ancient  and  original  churchyard  on 


RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS,  1865-1923  481 


the  eastern  boundary  of  Kingstree  until  the  new  build¬ 
ing  was  erected  on  Academy  Street  in  the  town  in  1890. 
In  1885,  Mrs.  M.  L.  Singleton  deeded  to  the  Williamsburg 
Presbyterian  Congregation  the  one-half  acre  lot  on  which 
this  new  church  was  built.  There  is  a  limitation  in  this 
deed  to  the  effect  that  “the  said  lot  herein  granted  is  to 
be  used  for  church  purposes  and  for  none  other.”  In 
1913,  this  congregation  replaced  this  frame  church  by  the 
excellent  brick  building  now  used  as  its  place  of  worship. 
The  building  committee  was  composed  of  Louis  W.  Gil- 
land,  chairman,  H.  E.  Montgomery,  secretary  and  treas¬ 
urer,  W.  R.  Scott,  E.  C.  Burgess,  M.  F.  Heller,  R.  B.  Smith, 

R.  J.  McCabe,  P.  G.  Gourdin,  and  D.  J.  Epps. 

Since  1866,  the  following  ministers  have  served  the  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  Presbyterian  Congregation :  Robert  Bradley, 
William  Banks,  James  McDowell,  W.  C.  Smith,  H.  G.  Gil- 
land,  J.  E.  Dunlap,  E.  E.  Ervin,  P.  S.  McChesney,  J.  W. 
Herndon,  and  John  W.  Davis.  Mr.  Davis  was  installed 
minister  in  1920.  In  1923,  the  Reverend  W.  C.  Smith 
was  living  on  his  own  farm  at  Reidville,  South  Carolina, 
all  his  faculties  undiminished,  and  with  physical  strength 
sufficient,  as  he  wrote,  “to  plough  and  weed  corn.”  The 
Reverend  P.  S.  McChesney  in  1923  was  pastor  of  the  First 
Presbyterian  Church  in  Anderson,  South  Carolina,  and 
the  Reverend  J.  W.  Herndon  was  serving  the  Church 
in  a  city  of  West  Virginia.  All  the  others  here  named 
except  the  Reverend  Mr.  Davis,  in  charge  of  the  Williams¬ 
burg  Church,  had  been  gathered  to  their  fathers. 

The  Indiantown  Presbyterian  Church  had  as  its  stated 
supply  from  March  7,  1858,  until  March  26,  1867,  the 
Reverend  James  R.  Gilland.  He  was  succeeded  at  that 
time  by  the  Reverend  James  McDowell.  In  1868,  Dr.  J. 

S.  Cunningham  was  elected  and  ordained  as  elder  on  the 
third  Sabbath  in  June.  Dr.  Cunningham  served  as  one  of 
this  session  of  elders  for  a  great  many  years.  He  was 
living,  hale  and  hearty,  and  a  faithful  attendant  of  Indian- 


482 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


town  Church  in  1923,  when  more  than  ninety-two  years 
old.  In  1873,  the  White  Oak  Church  was  disbanded  and 
its  property  and  membership  became  a  part  of  the  Indian- 
town  Church.  There  were  thirteen  members  who  became 
thus  a  part  of  the  Indiantown  Congregation. 

All  through  these  dark  days  of  the  reconstruction  period 
Indiantown  Church  continued  its  careful  supervision  over 
the  individuals  of  the  congregation.  So  often  as  a  man 
strayed  from  the  straight  and  narrow  way  he  was  sum¬ 
moned  before  the  session  of  elders,  where  he  either  pro¬ 
fessed  repentance  and  humbled  himself  in  the  dust  before 
the  congregation  or  was  excommunicated.  The  sessional 
visitations  were  continued.  The  records  show  that  on 
August  8,  1874,  the  congregation  was  divided  into  four 
classes  for  this  sessional  supervision.  The  first  class  was 
assigned  to  Elder  Wilson,  second  to  Elder  James,  the  third 
to  Elder  Cunningham,  and  the  fourth  to  Elder  McCutchen. 
On  May  31,  1878,  the  Reverend  Henry  G.  Gilland  became 
minister  of  this  congregation. 

On  November  23,  the  folloAving  persons  were  dismissed 
from  the  Indiantown  Congregation  for  the  purpose  of 
uniting  with  the  Lake  City  Presbyterian  Church :  J.  T. 
Gaskins,  Mrs.  S.  L.  McCutchen,  Mrs.  T.  M.  Perkins,  Wil¬ 
liam  C.  Brown,  Mrs.  H.  H.  Singletary,  Mrs.  S.  G.  Gas¬ 
kins,  and  the  following  children  of  Mrs.  Singletary,  John 
Duncan,  Barfield,  Lamar,  and  Virginia  Vernon.  The 
elders  of  the  Indiantown  Church  at  this  time  were  J.  D. 
Daniel,  Colonel  James  McCutchen,  T.  M.  McCutchen,  P. 
D.  Snowden,  and  Dr.  J.  S.  Cunningham. 

On  August  24,  1889,  the  Reverend  J.  E.  Dunlap  became 
pastor  of  the  Indiantown  fold.  Colonel  James  McCutchen 
died  on  September  25,  1897.  He  was  born  March  8,  1830, 
and  ordained  as  ruling  elder  on  November  6,  1853.  It 
will  be  seen  that  he  served  on  the  official  board  of  his 
church  forty-four  years.  His  son,  Hugh  McCutchen,  was 
elected  elder  “in  his  room.”  Since  Mr.  Dunlap  the  fol- 


RELIGIUOS  DENOMINATIONS,  1865-1923  483 


lowing  ministers  in  order  have  served  the  Indiantown 
Congregation :  A.  C.  Bridgman,  R.  L.  Darnall,  F.  H. 
Wardlaw,  and  W.  R.  Pritchett,  who  was  in  charge  in  1923. 

In  1917,  the  old  Indiantown  Church  building,  which 
had  stood  as  a  place  of  worship  since  1835,  was  remodelled. 
It  was  raised  about  ten  feet  and  below  the  main  audito¬ 
rium  twelve  Sunday  School  rooms  constructed  of  solid 
concrete.  A  modern  heating  plant  for  the  Sunday  School 
rooms  and  the  main  auditorium  of  the  church  was  then 
installed. 

Among  the  Presbyterian  ministers  who  served  Elon, 
Union,  Central,  and  Gourdins  in  the  long  ago,  old  men 
now  living  remember  Dr.  Hampton  DuBose,  Dr.  J.  W. 
Flinn,  Chalmers  Johnson,  and  Augustus  Henderson,  John 
LaFar.  Dr.  Flinn  was  a  young  man  when  he  preached  in 
this  County.  Later  he  developed  into  one  of  the  leading 
ministers  of  his  denomination.  For  manv  vears  he  was  a 

e/ 

professor  in  the  University  of  South  Carolina.  Reverend 
W.  I.  Sinnott,  formerly  of  Alabama,  in  1923,  was  minister 
in  charge  of  the  churches  at  Union  and  Central  and  Lake 
City.  He  had  been  serving  these  congregations  many 
years.  Reverend  R.  H.  Ratchford  was  minister  of  the 
Greelyville  Church  in  1923.  Reverend  Philip  Pierson 
served  Bethel  Church  from  its  dedication  in  1858,  until 
he  died,  while  preaching  in  its  pulpit,  November  9,  1873. 
He  was  succeeded  by  W.  B.  Crawford,  Robert  Adams,  R. 
D.  Perry,  A.  M.  Hassell,  S.  E.  Bishop,  W.  H.  Workman, 
and  James  McDowell,  D.  M.  Clarke,  and  Dr.  F.  M.  Hawley, 
Elders  of  this  church  in  1923  were  G.  W.  Burgess,  E.  F. 
Epps,  T.  E.  Duke,  and  R.  C.  McElveen,  clerk  of  the  ses¬ 
sion,  who  succeeded  his  father  in  1906. 

In  1923  the  following  were  active  Presbyterian 
Churches  in  Williamsburg  County  with  the  number  of  com¬ 
municants  in  each  :  Williamsburg,  285 ;  Indiantown,  1 67 ; 
Union,  95;  Central,  118;  Lanes,  47;  Greelyville  (Mc¬ 
Dowell  Memorial  Church),  110;  Bethel,  125;  McGill 


484 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Memorial  Chapel,  62.  Total  Presbyterian  membership 
in  Williamsburg  County,  1009. 

About  1880,  Miss  Caroline  Simons,  an  enthusiastic  mem¬ 
ber  of  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church,  came  to  Kingstree 
as  a  school  teacher.  She  was  the  only  communicant  of  this 
church  in  the  town  of  Kingstree  until  in  1882,  through 
her  influence,  Bishop  W.  W.  Howe  conducted  services 
in  the  county  court  house,  and  confirmed  a  class  of  four, 
composed  of  Mr.  and  Mrs.  P.  B.  Thorne,  Miss  Minnie 
Porter,  and  Mr.  Charles  Porter.  For  several  years  these 
five  communicants  from  time  to  time  obtained  the  services 
of  missionary  ministers  and  “kept  the  faith.” 

On  the  29th  day  of  June,  1882,  William  J.  Lee  and  Vir¬ 
ginia  E.  Lee  granted  to  the  Protestant  Episcopal  Church 
in  South  Carolina  “all  that  lot  of  land  in  Kingstree  meas¬ 
uring  and  containing  in  width  on  the  front  and  back  lines 
one  hundred  and  five  feet  and  in  depth  on  the  said  lines 
two  hundred  and  ten  feet,  bounded  on  the  north  by  a 
lot  of  John  Dozier,  south  by  Church  Street,  east  by  Hamp¬ 
ton  Street,  and  west  by  land  of  W.  J.  Lee.”  It  was  pro¬ 
vided  in  this  deed  that  no  part  of  this  lot  should  ever  be 
used  as  a  cemetery  or  place  for  the  interment  of  the  dead. 

In  1890  St.  Alban’s  Episcopal  Chapel  was  erected  on 
this  lot  and  has  since  been  used  by  the  Episcopalians. 
In  1887,  Miss  Simons  married  M.  F.  Heller.  Although 
a  Presbyterian  himself,  Mr.  Heller  joined  in  with  Mr. 
Thorne  and  they  were  largely  responsible  for  the  building 
of  this  place  of  worship.  The  same  force  of  carpenters 
built  St.  Alban’s  Chapel  immediately  after  completing 
the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Church.  This  Presbyte¬ 
rian  Church  donated  the  use  of  the  pews  of  its  old  church 
to  St.  Alban’s  until  St.  Alban’s  secured  some  of  its  own. 
The  Reverend  E.  C.  Steele,  Protestant  Episcopal  mis¬ 
sionary,  was  largely  instrumental  in  the  establishment 
of  St.  Alban’s.  The  Reverends  H.  M.  Jarvis,  R.  W.  Barn¬ 
well,  H.  B.  Bull,  Dr.  Robert  Wilson,  and  Dr.  Walter 


RELIGIUOS  DENOMINATIONS,  1865-1923  485 


Mitchell  were  ministers  of  St.  Alban’s  prior  to  1922  when 
the  Reverend  John  Ridout  became  rector.  Messrs.  Jarvis 
and  Bull  were  resident  ministers;  the  others  named  vis¬ 
ited  the  charge  at  stated  intervals. 

In  1922  the  handsome  rectory  of  St.  Alban’s  Church 
was  built  and  furnished.  In  1923,  the  Protestant  Epis¬ 
copal  had  only  one  place  of  worship  in  Williamsburg 
County,  St.  Alban’s  Church  on  Hampton  Street  in  Kings- 
tree,  and  thirty-one  communicants. 

On  February  16,  1875,  R.  C.  Logan  conveyed  to  J.  W. 
Staggers,  W.  J.  Lee,  and  J.  Marion  Staggers,  trustees 
Kingstree  Baptist  Church,  a  lot  of  land  in  the  town  of 
Kingstree  immediately  across  Academy  Street  from  the 
Methodist  Church  Parsonage,  said  lot  two  hundred  ten 
feet  on  Academy  Street,  and  one  hundred  fifty-five  feet  on 
Brooks  Street  in  the  form  of  a  rectangle.  It  was  expressly 
provided  in  this  deed  that  no  part  of  the  lot  conveyed 
should  ever  be  used  as  a  cemetery  or  place  for  the  inter¬ 
ment  of  the  dead.  It  was  at  this  time  that  the  Kingstree 
Baptist  Church  was  moved  from  its  old  location  on  Main 
Street  near  Black  River.  This  Church  was  used  bv  the 

C/ 

Baptists  in  Kingstree  until  1913  when  it  was  removed 
and  replaced  by  the  handsome  brick  structure,  the  home 
of  the  denomination  in  1923.  The  Reverend  W.  E.  Hurt 
was  minister  of  the  Church  while  this  new  church  was 
being  erected  and  the  building  committee  was  as  follows : 
Dr.  W.  L.  Wallace,  M.  A.  Ross,  W.  R.  Funk,  C.  M.  Hinds, 
J.  B.  Gamble,  G.  F.  Williamson,  J.  F.  Rodgers,  A.  C. 
Swails,  and  S.  C.  Anderson. 

In  1878,  Dr.  Robert  Henry  conveyed  to  J.  M.  Keels,  E. 
R.  Lesesne,  N.  T.  Pitman,  W.  S.  Varner,  and  J.  W.  Net¬ 
tles,  trustees  of  the  Mount  Hope  Baptist  Church,  four 
acres  of  land  whereon  the  church  stood  at  that  time.  This 
church  served  the  people  of  the  Greelyville  community  for 
many  years  and  until  it  was  moved  into  the  town.  There 


486 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


is  yet  about  this  old  church  a  well  kept  burying  ground 
still  used  by  the  Baptists  of  that  section. 

In  1884,  Mary  Cade,  Sarah  E.  Cade,  and  Charles  W. 
Cade  conveyed  to  H.  J.  Williamson,  Jacob  Rodgers,  and 
C.  W.  McClain,  trustees  of  the  Midway  Baptist  Church, 
one-half  acre  of  land  in  the  present  town  of  Cades,  and 
the  Midway  Baptist  Church  was  then  moved  to  this  new 
location. 

During  the  past  fifty  years,  the  Baptist  denomination 
has  had  a  remarkable  growth  in  Williamsburg.  In  1923, 
there  were  fifteen  hundred  seventy-five  members  of  the 
missionary  Baptist  Church  in  Williamsburg  County  and 
this  denomination  had  the  following  active  growing  con¬ 
gregations  :  Antioch,  Hemingway,  Bloomingvale,  Cades, 
Cedar  Grove,  Kingstree,  Johnson ville,  Lanes,  Mount 
Tabor,  Trio,  Taft,  Paron,  Piney  Forest,  Piney  Grove, 
Spring  Gulley,  Pleasant  Hill,  and  Nesmith. 

The  following  have  served  as  ministers  in  the  County 
during  this  period:  J.  B.  Hicks,  Elijah  Hicks,  J.  D. 
Andrews,  H.  L.  Oliver,  T.  P.  Lide,  L.  T.  Carroll,  J.  T. 
Burrows,  William  Moss,  J.  L.  Rollins,  S.  M.  Richardson, 
Simon  T.  Russell,  J.  M.  Weaver,  J.  W.  Kramer,  J.  T. 
Rollins,  W.  D.  Moorer,  A.  M.  Pitman,  F.  W.  Eason,  J. 
W.  Bishop,  G.  T.  Gresham,  C.  F.  Ramsbottom,  J.  Henry 
Snyder,  W.  E.  Hurt,  and  E.  A.  McDowell.  The  following 
were  Baptist  ministers  resident  in  Williamsburg  and  serv¬ 
ing  churches  in  1923 :  J.  W.  Morris,  B.  D.  Thames,  Hem¬ 
ingway;  J.  A.  Turner,  Cades;  F.  C.  Hawkins,  Kingstree; 
J.  R.  Funderburk,  Greelyville. 

The  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Kingstree  used  the 
building  erected  in  1853  as  its  house  of  worship  until  1911, 
when  it  was  removed  and  replaced  by  the  handsome  church 
now  standing.  At  that  time  the  Reverend  W.  A.  Fairy 
was  minister  and  the  building  committee  was  composed  of 
F.  W.  Fairey,  Chairman;  A.  C.  Hinds,  Secretary  and 


RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS,  1865-1923  487 


Treasurer;  J.  F.  McFadden,  E.  C.  Epps,  L.  J.  Stackley, 
P.  H.  Stoll,  A.  M.  Gordon,  and  H.  D.  Reddick. 

Hebron  Methodist  Church  was  built  in  1874.  W.  E. 
Smith  “for  and  in  consideration  of  the  love  I  bear  for  the 
Cross  of  Christ  and  for  an  earnest  desire  to  promote  His 
heritage  on  earth,  I  do  give,  grant,  and  by  these  presents 
convey  unto  W.  D.  Coker,  Jesse  Christmas,  J.  M.  Kennedy, 
A.  DuBose,  C.  W.  DuBose,  one  acre  of  land  on  the  East 
side  of  Long  Branch  and  on  the  South  side  of  the  road 
leading  by  J.  M.  Coker’s  to  Cades  Turnout.” 

The  Salters  Methodist  Church  was  built  in  1875  on 
land  donated  by  T.  Edward  Salters  to  W.  S.  Camlin,  S. 
S.  Britton,  E.  J.  Park,  J.  M.  Owens,  and  S.  B.  Green, 
trustees. 

New  Market  Methodist  Church  was  built  in  1876  on 
land  donated  by  G.  D.  Rhodus  to  W.  R.  Coskney,  Joseph 
S.  Cantey,  William  M.  Tobias,  Dr.  James  M.  Burgess,  and 
Gabriel  D.  Rhodus,  trustees. 

Concord  Methodist  Church  was  built  in  1882  on  land 
granted  by  D.  Z.  Martin  to  J.  M.  McCants,  R.  J.  Morris, 
Charles  Boyd,  J.  E.  Timmons,  Hugh  Boyd,  W.  J.  Jeffer¬ 
son,  and  William  W.  Boyd,  trustees. 

Prospect  Methodist  Church  was  built  on  one  acre  of 
land  granted  by  James  and  Elizabeth  Eaddy  to  William 
Johnson,  James  Snow,  Edward  D.  Eaddy,  B.  H.  Stone, 
and  James  H.  Stone,  trustees,  on  the  sixth  day  of  June, 
1891. 

Dr.  Cleland  B.  Graham  in  1901  deeded  two  acres  of 
land  to  Jackson  Gordon,  Hugh  Cooper,  Sr.,  Thomas  Press- 
ley,  Samuel  McCutchen,  William  Morris,  Benjamin  Cun¬ 
ningham,  D.  S.  Cooper,  R.  H.  Cooper,  trustees  of  Bethesda 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church. 

S.  E.  Cade  in  1901  donated  one-half  acre  of  land  in  the 
town  of  Cades  to  the  following  board  of  trustees  for  the 
use  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  S.  B. 


488 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Newsom,  W.  D.  Coker,  J.  McB.  Graham,  W.  Lawrence 
Graham,  and  R.  Erasmus  Cade. 

In  1907  Orange  Brewington  conveyed  to  B.  S.  Smith, 
R.  B.  Marshall,  and  Lemuel  Smith,  trustees,  one  acre  of 
land  on  which  the  church  then  stood  for  the  use  of  the 
Elim  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South. 

Among  the  Methodist  ministers  who  have  served 
the  church  at  Kingstree  and  other  churches  in  the 
County  since  1876  may  be  mentioned:  John  A.  Rice,  R. 
W.  Spigner,  W.  S.  Martin,  N.  A.  Brunson,  W.  B.  Dun¬ 
can,  J.  C.  Counts,  W.  H.  Hodges,  W.  H.  Elwell,  R.  M. 
DuBose,  W.  B.  Baker,  H.  J.  Cauthern,  J.  B.  Wilson,  A. 
W.  Jackson,  D.  A.  Phillips,  W.  B.  Justice,  T.  J.  Clyde, 
J.  E.  Mahaffy,  W.  A.  Fairy,  J.  T.  Fowler,  G.  T.  Harmon, 
Charles  B.  Smith,  J.  W.  Daniel,  W.  W.  Daniel,  J.  K 
Johnson,  B.  S.  Hughes,  W.  S.  Heath,  J.  E.  Clark,  G.  T. 
Rhoad,  B.  G.  Guess,  T.  E.  Derrick,  J.  W.  Jones,  M.  F. 
Dukes,  W.  A.  Massibeau,  C.  C.  Derrick,  and  J.  P.  Inabnit. 

In  1923  there  were  the  following  Methodist  Episcopal 
Churches,  South,  active  in  Williamsburg:  Kingstree, 
Trio,  Suttons,  Concord,  Harmony,  Greelyville,  Lanes, 
Cedar  Swamp,  Elim,  Beulah,  Cades,  Bethesda,  Hebron, 
Pergamos,  Workman,  Mount  Vernon,  Salters,  Heming¬ 
way,  and  Ebenezer.  There  were  twenty-six  hundred  and 
thirty-eight  communicants  of  this  Church  in  the  County. 

It  has  been  practically  impossible  to  secure  accurate  sta¬ 
tistics  as  to  the  membership  of  the  Free  Will  Baptist 
Churches  of  Williamsburg.  There  were  probably  more  than 
twenty  places  of  worship  for  this  congregation  in  the 
County  in  1923.  They  were  all  small  buildings  in  rural  dis¬ 
tricts  and  several  of  them  had  considerable  congregations. 
A  conservative  estimate  of  the  number  of  members  of  this 
denomination,  growing  out  of  careful  study  for  the  pur¬ 
pose  of  securing  accurate  statistics,  indicates  that  there 


RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS,  1865-1923  489 


were  considerably  more  than  seven  hundred  and  fifty  Free 
Will  Baptists  in  the  County  in  1923. 

Until  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States  had  been 
adopted  in  1789,  every  person,  man,  woman,  and  child, 
who  settled  on  land  in  Williamsburg,  had  been  required 
to  swear  to  and  subscribe  an  oath  that  they  were  Protes¬ 
tants.  The  inhabitants  of  Williamsburg  unanimously 
approved  of  this  non-admission  of  Roman  Catholics  into 
the  district.  While  the  Constitution  of  the  United  States 
required  religious  freedom,  public  sentiment  in  Williams¬ 
burg  continued  strongly  hostile  toward  Roman  Catholics 
and  much  of  this  averse  sentiment  was  existent  in  the 
County  in  1923.  There  were,  however,  in  Williamsburg 
in  1923  fourteen  adults  who  were  communicants  of  Roman 
Catholic  Churches  and  twenty  children  who  had  been 
taken  into  this  Church  by  baptism.  Of  these  fourteen 
adults  who  were  Roman  Catholics,  not  one  of  them  was 
born  in  Williamsburg  County  and  only  five  of  them  were 
native  born  Americans.  There  has  never  been  a  Roman 
Catholic  Church  erected  in  Williamsburg  County. 

In  1923,  there  were  twenty  Hebrews  in  Williamsburg, 
still  faithful  worshippers  of  Jehovah,  the  God  of  Abraham 
and  of  Isaac  and  of  Jacob.  No  Jewish  temple  has  ever  been 
erected  in  this  County,  but  the  Law  that  Moses  brought 
from  the  summit  of  Sanai  has  ruled  this  land  since  Roger 
Gordon  settled  at  the  King’s  Tree. 

This  County  has  furnished  a  number  of  ministers  and 
missionaries  during  the  past  fifty  years,  among  whom 
were :  Samuel  Fulton,  Presbyterian  missionary  to  Japan ; 
Darby  M.  Fulton,  the  past  thirty  years  pastor  of  the 
First  Presbyterian  Church  in  Darlington;  J.  Screven 
Brockinton,  a  Presbyterian  minister  in  New  York,  who 
died  about  1915 ;  N.  B.  Clarkson  and  G.  F.  Clarkson,  Meth¬ 
odists;  F.  A.  Budden,  now  pastor  Bethel  Methodist  Church 
in  Charleston ;  Ernest  Epps,  Methodist,  serving  on  special 
board  duty  of  his  denomination ;  Miss  Leila  Epps,  daugh- 


490 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


ter  of  Edwin  Epps,  Methodist  missionary  to  Brazil;  and 
Miss  Hannah  Plowden,  daughter  of  M.  H.  Plowden, 
Baptist  missionary  to  China. 

In  1923  the  number  of  white  church  members  exceeded 
the  adult  white  population  in  Williamsburg.  In  the  town 
of  Kingstree  there  were  only  six  white  adults  who  were 
not  members  of  a  church,  and  every  one  of  this  six  was  a 
new  comer  into  the  municipality.  These  facts  are  remark¬ 
able.  It  must  not  be  understood  from  all  this  that  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  has  actualized  the  Kingdom  of  Heaven  within 
its  domain,  even  though  it  is  a  good  place  in  which  to  live. 
It  is  very  much  like  other  American  communities,  not¬ 
withstanding  its  almost  unanimous  church  membership. 

Ministers  of  Protestant  religious  denominations  have 
labored  in  Williamsburg  continuously  since  1736.  With 
two  or  three  notable  exceptions,  they  have  preached  that 
the  Bible  is  the  sole  source  of  revelation  of  God  to  man, 
and  that  its  King  James  version,  supplemented  by  Usslier’s 
chronology,  must  be  accepted  verbatim  et  literatim  et 
punetatim  upon  pain  of  eternal  Death.  They  have  pro¬ 
claimed  the  Roman  triune  divinity,  making  God  synony¬ 
mous  with  Fear,  substituting  the  pope  and  king  created 
Christ  for  the  merciful  Nazarene,  and  declaring  the  Holy 
Ghost  too  much  clothed  in  power  for  human  contempla¬ 
tion.  Their  Trinity  is  an  arbitrary  Thing  working  its  will 
on  helpless  man  for  its  own  glory;  their  Heaven  is  a 
jasper  walled  city  where  these  three  awful  Gods  receive 
after  death  certain  immortal  souls  to  praise  them  forever ; 
their  Hell  a  lake  of  solid  and  liquid  fire,  where  the  worm 
dieth  not  and  the  fire  is  not  quenched,  into  which  are 
hurled  the  souls  of  those  human  beings  who  while  on 
earth  failed  to  please  this  awful  Three. 

Williamsburg  ministers,  almost  without  exception,  have 
preached  that  this  world  exists  only  for  life  beyond  the 
grave.  “Love  not  the  world,  neither  the  things  that  are 
in  the  world”  has  been  the  basis  of  nearly  all  of  their 


RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS,  1865-1923  491 

sermons.  From  these  selections  from  songs  these  minis¬ 
ters  taught  the  people  to  sing  may  be  gathered  some  idea 
of  their  theology :  “This  world’s  a  wilderness  of  woe, 
this  world  is  not  my  home.”  “What  is  life?  ’Tis  but  a 
vapor.  Soon  it  is  vanished  away.  Life  is  like  a  dying 
taper.  Oh!  my  soul!  Why  wish  to  stay?”  “We  should 
suspect  some  danger  nigh  when  we  possess  delight.”  “Oh 
could  we  die  with  those  that  die,  and  place  us  in  their 
stead;  then  would  our  spirits  learn  to  fly,  and  converse 
with  the  dead.  We  should  almost  forsake  our  clay  before 
the  summons  comes,  and  pray  and  wish  our  souls  away  to 
their  eternal  home.”  “I  am  but  a  stranger  here,  Heaven 
is  my  home.  Earth  is  a  desert  drear,  Heaven  is  mv  home.” 

The  Reverend  Mr.  Ervin,  in  1830,  recommended  to  Sam¬ 
uel  McGill  the  singing  of  hymns  instead  of  dancing  as 
an  amusement.  Practically  every  minister  who  has 
preached  in  Williamsburg  for  the  past  century  would  have 
done  the  same  thing.  Their  theology  has  made  them  preach 
that  all  human  desires  are  evil  and  that  the  nearer  a  man 
can  overcome  them  the  purer  his  heart  will  be.  Since 
these  ministers  preach  the  Bible  is  the  sole  source  of 
knowledge  of  the  origin  and  development  of  things,  they 
have  resisted  strenuously  everything  along  this  line  that 
biology,  geology,  and  allied  sciences  have  revealed.  Prob¬ 
ably  there  is  not  in  South  Carolina  in  1923  a  denomi¬ 
national  college  president  who  would  openly  admit 
to  a  Williamsburg  audience  that  the  theory  of  Evolution 
is  earnestly  taught  in  his  institution.  Nor  would  any  of 
them  admit  thus  that  India,  China,  Chaldea,  Egypt,  or 
even  Greece  taught  the  world  anything  about  God. 

These  ministers  of  Williamsburg  have  talked  a  lot  of 
Jesus  Christ,  but  little  have  they  known  the  Nazarene. 
In  their  pulpits,  they  have  preached  that  monstrous  god 
made  by  mediaeval  papal  and  consistorial  bulls.  Jesus 
of  Nazareth  taught  unmistakably  of  God  in  man,  of 
Heaven  here  and  now,  and  of  worship  as  the  love  and  ser- 


492 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


vice  of  humanity.  These  ministers  have  preached  that 
the  Devil  is  in  man,  that  this  world  is  a  lesser  Hell,  and 
that  true  worship  consists  mainly  in  attending  church, 
supporting  its  institutions,  and  paying  tithes.  From  their 
pulpits  they  have  never  established  the  connection  between 
Jesus  of  Nazareth  and  human  life,  although  Jesus  was  the 
most  intensely  human  personality  of  all  the  ages.  The 
most  passionate  appeals  revivalists  have  ever  made  were 
based  on  what  is  to  happen  to  one  after  death. 

A  circuit  rider  in  Williamsburg  said  the  other  day: 
“I  was  often  unable  to  preach  in  three  of  my  churches 
during  last  winter.  It  was  so  cold  and  these  churches 
had  no  stoves  for  heating  them.”  Not  one  of  these 
churches  has  less  than  fifty  members,  and  there  is  not 
less  than  three  high  powered  automobiles  owned  by  in¬ 
dividual  members  in  each  of  these  three  congregations. 
There  are  ten  members  in  each  one  of  these  three  congre¬ 
gations  any  one  of  whom  could  have  placed  a  stove  in 
his  church  without  considering  the  cost.  Either  these 
church  members  do  not  know  Jesus  of  Nazareth  or  they 
are  little  concerned  in  promoting  His  cause. 

Within  the  last  few  years,  many  men  in  Williamsburg 
have  learned  in  spite  of  ex  cathedra  utterances  that  Jesus 
Christ  is  the  most  lovable  character  of  the  world  and  that 
His  spirit  shows  the  way,  the  truth,  and  the  life.  One  of 
the  most  successful  business  men  in  Kingstree,  a  man  of 
highest  intelligence  and  most  approved  church  standing, 
said  the  other  day :  “If  every  theological  seminary  in  the 
country  were  burned  to  the  ground  and  every  book  of 
theological  learning  abolished  from  the  face  of  the  earth, 
it  would  be  easier  to  bring  the  world  to  a  knowledge  of 
Jesus  Christ.”  This  man  was  thinking  of  the  Christ  that 
he  himself  knew  and  of  the  monstrous  god  usually 
preached  in  Williamsburg  as  the  only  begotten  Son  of 
God. 


RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS,  1865-1923  493 

A  man  naturally  follows  the  customs  of  his  fathers. 
Normally  he  accepts  the  religion  that  he  finds  and  tries  to 
work  out  his  relationship  with  his  God  along  established 
lines.  It  has  always  taken  an  unusually  strong  man  to 
contribute  something  to  religious  life.  The  priesthood 
in  all  ages  has  been  powerful  and  has  not  hesitated  to  use 
any  means  within  its  control  to  suppress  and  to  destroy 
any  individual  who  even  attempted  to  approach  God  other¬ 
wise  than  he  had  been  taught.  Jesus  Christ  was  crucified 
on  Calvary  because  he  showed  the  Sanhedrin  a  higher  God 
than  it  had  theretofore  known.  Since  Christ  was  crucified, 
priests  and  sanhedrins  in  every  age  have  crucified  as  far 
as  they  were  permitted  by  the  laws  of  the  land  every  man 
who  has  dared  to  evidence  a  closer  walk  with  God.  Even 
so  has  it  been  in  Williamsburg. 

Almost  without  exception  the  ministers  who  have 
served  in  Williamsburg  have  been  good  men — far  more 
human  and  divine  than  the  mediaeval  Christ  they  have 
preached.  God  only  knows  how  earnestly  they  have 
labored  and  how  much  they  have  suffered — how  often  they 
have  preached  to  vacant  pews  and  looked  into  empty  lard¬ 
ers.  The  Reverend  James  Wallace  has  not  been  the  only 
one  who  has  realized  that  the  more  fervently  he  has 
preached  the  more  certainly  his  congregation  has  turned 
away  from  his  god.  Their  yoke  has  not  been  easy  nor  their 
burden  light.  The  general  moral  influence  of  their  lives 
on  Williamsburg  has  been  good,  for  they  have  lived  better 
lives  than  their  doctrine  could  have  made.  They  have 
practiced  a  reasonable  religion,  and  men  have  learned  the 
wav,  the  truth,  and  the  life  from  their  conduct  much  more 
than  from  their  conversation.  Their  theology  has  been 
bad;  their  religion,  good.  Few  of  them  have  ever  realized 
that  active  and  productive  faith  comes  only  by  way  of 
understanding,  and  that  the  true  God  is  best  known  to 
the  man  of  the  highest  general  mental  development.  Not 
many  of  them  have  ever  touched  the  average  normal  man, 


494 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and,  not  understanding,  they  have  declared  human  nature 
altogether  evil. 

Many  complaints  from  pulpits  have  been  heard  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  that  so  few  of  the  “most  promising  young  men” 
enter  the  ministry.  The  reason  is  perfectly  clear  to  every¬ 
body  but  “orthodox”  theologians.  The  very  highest  type 
of  mind  finds  its  supreme  delight  in  the  contemplation 
of  God.  The  best  young  men  of  the  age  would  enter  the 
ministry  if  they  did  not  know  that  ordination  to  the  priest¬ 
hood  means  perpetual  incarceration  in  darker  prisons 
than  mamertine  walls  can  make.  There  were  some  of 
the  “most  promising  young  men”  of  Williamsburg  in  1923 
who  were  praying  fervently  for  being  allowed  the  privi¬ 
lege  of  preaching  the  Gospel,  but  whose  divinely  given 
honesty  and  intelligence  absolutely  prevented  them  from 
taking  the  required  vows  for  ordination. 

One  of  the  most  distinct  outward  evidences  of  the  in¬ 
ward  spiritual  growth  of  the  church  members  of  Kings- 
tree  was  the  formation  in  1921  of  a  denominational  feder¬ 
ation  in  which  the  Protestant  Episcopal,  the  Presbyte¬ 
rian,  the  Baptist,  and  the  Methodist  churches,  all  in  town, 
united  for  the  purpose  of  holding  union  services  in  one  of 
the  four  churches  on  the  first  Sunday  evening  in  each 
month.  In  turn,  these  four  denominations  worship  to¬ 
gether  at  the  several  churches  and  the  four  ministers 
preach  in  order  to  these  massed  denominational  congre¬ 
gations. 

In  1921,  the  Baptist  Church  in  Kingstree  secured  the 
services  of  the  Reverend  Frank  C.  Hawkins  as  its  minister. 
Mr.  Hawkins  had  just  completed  his  theological  course  at 
Harvard,  having  learned  of  some  of  the  leading  men  of 
this  age.  Mr.  Hawkins  began  his  work  in  Kingstree 
quietly  and  earnestly.  He  felt  that  Jesus  of  Nazareth  was 
first  of  all  a  teacher,  and  that  teaching  God  is  the  primary 
function  of  a  minister.  Mr.  Hawkins  taught  his  congre¬ 
gation  that  God  is  Love  and  that  Love  Law  rules  the 


RELIGIOUS  DENOMINATIONS,  1865-1923  495 

Universe.  He  taught  his  congregation  the  Christ  that 
Peter  and  James  and  John  and  the  lepers  and  the  lame  and 
the  halt  and  the  blind  knew  about  blue  Galilee.  After 
about  two  years  some  people  in  Kingstree  realized  that 
Mr.  Hawkins  was  preaching  a  more  human  Christ  than 
they  had  theretofore  known.  These  people  could  not 
understand  the  divinity  of  the  Christ  Mr.  Hawkins 
preached.  Whereupon,  some  of  them  began  to  declare 
that  he  denied  the  divinity  of  Christ  and  all  other  things 
religious  teachers  usually  are  charged  with  denying.  The 
Reverend  John  Davis,  minister  of  the  Presbyterian 
Church,  one  of  the  four  churches  in  the  Kingstree  federa¬ 
tion,  asked  his  elders  in  official  session,  whether  or  not 
their  church  should  withdraw  from  the  Union  on  account 
of  the  “unorthodoxy”  of  this  Baptist  minister.  When 
this  was  written,  June  1,  1923,  this  Session  of  Elders  had 
not  withdrawn  from  the  Union. 

“The  morning  light  is  breaking; 

The  darkness  disappears.” 


CHAPTER  XXXVII. 


BANKING  IN  WILLIAMSBURG. 

The  people  of  Williamsburg  continued  to  do  their  bank¬ 
ing  business  in  the  city  of  Charleston  until  the  first  year 
of  this  century.  But  little  money  had  been  required  to 
satisfy  their  demands.  Until  1900,  planters  shipped  their 
cotton  to  Charleston  and  drew  drafts  on  their  factors 
for  all  the  required  money.  There  had  been  a  small  de* 
mand  for  money  in  the  County  all  during  the  years  and  this 
demand  was  supplied  by  individuals.  After  the  War  be¬ 
tween  the  Sections,  for  a  long  time  L.  W.  Nesmith  kept 
some  currency  on  hand  and  supplied  this  need  in  the 
County.  After  him  came  R.  H.  Kellahan,  who  had  grown 
wealthy  in  the  turpentine  business.  In  1900,  when  the 
establishment  of  a  bank  at  Kingstree  was  seriously  agi¬ 
tated,  Mr.  Kellahan  stated  that  not  more  than  $30,000.00 
would  be  necessary  to  supply  the  demand  in  the  entire 
County  and  thought  that  a  bank  in  Kingstree  would  be 
useless. 

The  Bank  of  Kingstree  opened  for  business  on  Septem¬ 
ber  11,  1901,  with  a  paid  up  capital  stock  of  $15,000.00. 
It  was  the  first  banking  institution  established  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  County.  The  original  board  of  directors  were 
R.  D.  Rollins,  H.  P.  Williams,  John  A.  Kelly,  and  Dr. 
D.  C.  Scott.  The  first  officers:  Dr.  D.  C.  Scott,  presi¬ 
dent;  John  A.  Kelly,  vice-president;  and  E.  C.  Epps,  cash¬ 
ier.  The  first  banking  house  of  this  institution  was  a 
little  room  in  the  rear  of  Dr.  Scott’s  old  Drug  Store  on 
Academy  Street.  The  furniture  and  fixtures  consisted 
of  one  home  made  pine  table,  one  broken  legged  chair, 
and  one  shot  bag  for  currency.  When  Cashier  Epps  had 
more  currency  on  hand  at  the  close  of  business  on  a  day 
than  he  was  willing  to  trust  in  one  of  the  iron  safes  then 
in  use  by  the  merchants  in  town,  he  took  this  shot  bag  of 


BANKING  IN  WILLIAMSBURG 


497 


currency  with  him  to  his  room  and  placed  it  under  his 
pillow  during  the  night.  At  the  close  of  business  on  Jan¬ 
uary  1,  1902,  the  deposits  in  this,  the  only  bank  in  the 
County,  were  $11,043.99;  loans  and  discounts,  $3,567.00; 
profits,  $542.59.  In  1904  Director  Rollins  died  and  R.  H. 
Kellahan  was  elected  a  member  of  the  board  of  directors 
to  fill  the  vacancy.  In  September,  1904,  Nabor  D.  Lesesne 
was  elected  assistant  cashier.  In  1905,  the  capital  stock 
was  increased  from  $15,000.00  to  $30,000.00.  At  that 
same  time,  H.  P.  Williams  resigned  as  director  and  J.  F. 
Cooper  succeeded  him.  E.  C.  Epps  resigned  as  cashier 
and  Fred  Lesesne  succeeded  him.  Mr.  Lesesne  soon 
resigned  when  L.  H.  Fairey  filled  the  vacancy  made. 

On  January  1,  1906,  the  deposits  in  this  Bank  were 
$246,728.26;  loans  and  discounts,  $121,731.53;  profits, 
$12,370.15.  As  soon  as  possible  after  the  beginning  of 
business  by  this  Bank,  it  erected  a  building  on  Main 
Street,  wherein  it  installed  modern  furnishings  and  equip¬ 
ment.  It  occupied  this  building  until  1921,  when  it  leased 
the  ground  floor  of  the  Nexsen  building,  corner  of  Main 
and  Academy  streets,  and  there  equipped  very  handsome 
banking  quarters.  During  this  time,  J.  F.  Cooper  and 
R.  H.  Kellahan  had  died  and  the  number  of  the  board  of 
directors  had  been  increased  from  four  to  six.  Hugh 
Cooper,  A.  C.  Hinds,  F.  W.  Fairey,  and  W.  E.  Nesmith 
filled  these  vacancies.  In  1920,  J.  A.  Kelly,  Esq.,  re¬ 
signed  as  vice-president  and  Hugh  Cooper  succeeded  him. 

At  the  close  of  business  April  3, 1923,  the  Bank  of  Kings- 
tree  had  assets  to  the  value  of  $654,656.95.  Its  capital 
stock  was  then  $60,000.00,  with  a  surplus  fund  of 
$15,000.00.  The  officers  and  directors  were  Dr.  D.  C. 
Scott,  president ;  Hugh  Cooper,  vice-president ;  F.  W. 
Fairey,  cashier ;  R.  D.  Mills  and  B.  V.  Singleton,  assistant 
cashiers;  and  Mrs.  Charlton  Kelly,  stenographer;  direc¬ 
tors:  Dr.  D.  C.  Scott,  Hugh  Cooper,  John  A.  Kelly,  W. 
E.  Nesmith,  A.  C.  Hinds,  and  F.  W.  Fairey.  Dr.  Scott 


498 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


has  served  as  president  of  this  institution  continuously 
from  the  time  of  its  organization  until  the  day  this  was 
written. 

The  Bank  of  Greelyville  was  organized  in  1904  with 
a  capital  stock  of  $10,000.00.  Its  first  board  of  directors 
were:  T.  A.  Blakely,  J.  P.  Gamble,  T.  W.  Boyle,  W.  M. 
O’Bryan,  S.  J.  Taylor,  E.  D.  Rhodus,  and  J.  F.  Register. 
Its  first  officers :  T.  W.  Boyle,  president ;  W.  M.  O’Bryan, 
vice-president ;  J.  F.  Register,  cashier.  In  1907  the  capital 
stock  was  increased  to  $15,000.00.  C.  E.  Register  served 
as  cashier  from  1909  until  1920  and  as  active  vice-presi¬ 
dent  from  1920  to  1923,  when  forced  to  resign  on  account 
of  his  health.  In  1920  the  capital  stock  was  increased  to 
$50,000.00. 

The  board  of  directors  in  1923  was  as  follows :  T.  W. 
Boyle,  W.  M.  O’Bryan,  P.  G.  Gourdin,  J.  R.  Haynesworth, 
and  H.  D.  Ferrell.  Its  officers  were :  T.  W.  Boyle,  presi¬ 
dent;  W.  M.  O’Bryan,  vice-president;  and  G.  W.  Greene, 
cashier.  Mr.  Greene  became  cashier  of  this  Bank  in  1920. 
During  the  eighteen  years  in  which  this  Bank  has  been 
doing  business,  the  original  stock  holders  have  received  a 
total  of  112  per  cent,  in  cash  dividends  and  stock  dividends 
of  100  per  cent.  At  the  close  of  business  on  April  3, 
1923,  this  Bank  showed  resources  to  the  amount  of 
$147,843.72. 

The  Bank  of  Williamsburg  began  business  on  January 
8,  1906,  with  a  paid  up  capital  stock  of  $40,000.00.  The 
following  were  officers :  C.  W.  Stoll,  president ;  F.  Rhem, 
vice-president;  and  E.  C.  Epps,  cashier.  Board  of  di¬ 
rectors,  Charles  W.  Stoll,  W.  T.  Wilkins,  P.  G.  Gourdin, 
W.  I.  Nexsen,  J.  F.  McFadden,  F.  Rhem,  T.  A.  Blakely, 
and  J.  O.  Graham.  In  1913,  capital  stock  was  raised  to 
$100,000.00  and  a  stock  dividend  of  50%  declared.  At  the 
close  of  business  on  April  3,  1923,  the  Bank  of  Williams¬ 
burg  showed  as  resources  $665,517.96.  At  this  time  the 
directors  were:  C.  W.  Stoll,  W.  I.  Nexsen,  J.  F.  McFad- 


BANKING  IN  WILLIAMSBURG 


499 


den,  Dr.  I.  M.  Boyd,  W.  Y.  Strong,  J.  D.  O’Bryan,  and 
E.  C.  Epps.  Its  officers :  C.  W.  Stoll,  president ;  W.  I. 
Nexsen,  vice-president;  E.  0.  Epps,  cashier;  C.  W.  Bos¬ 
well,  assistant  cashier;  R.  N.  Speigner,  teller;  Miss  Dulcie 
Li f rage,  stenographer. 

The  Wee  Nee  Bank  of  Kingstree  began  business  on  July 

I,  1910,  with  paid  up  capital  of  $13,800.00  and  deposits 
of  $1337.31.  The  following  were  first  officers :  Hugh 
McCutchen,  president;  W.  Y.  Strong,  vice-president,  and 
E.  L.  Montgomery,  cashier.  Directors,  H.  McCutchen, 
W.  Y.  Strong,  H.  E.  Montgomery,  W.  B.  Cooper,  W.  R. 
Scott,  T.  K.  Smith,  and  J.  K.  Smith.  E.  L.  Montgomery 
resigned  as  cashier  on  May  1,  1911,  and  was  succeeded  by 
L.  C.  Dove,  who  served  in  such  capacity  until  January  1, 
1919,  when  he  resigned  and  was  succeeded  by  W.  W.  Hol¬ 
liday.  In  1920  President  Hugh  McCutchen  died  and  W. 
Y.  Strong  succeeded  him.  Mr.  Strong  began  to  exercise 
his  office  just  about  the  time  that  “Deflation”  set  in  and 
for  three  months  he  labored  continuously  for  the  Bank  in 
that  trying  financial  period.  At  the  meeting  of  the  board 
of  directors  at  the  end  of  that  year,  Mr.  Strong  resigned, 
telling  the  directors  that  he  would  not  serve  again  as 
president  of  that  or  any  other  bank  for  any  monetary 
consideration,  that  he  had  more  respect  for  his  body  and 
his  soul  than  to  crucifv  them  with  the  troubles  of  a  bank 
president.  Mr.  Strong  decided  at  that  time  that  hence¬ 
forth  he  would  live  a  farmer’s  life  in  the  country. 

At  that  time,  Thomas  McCutchen  was  elected  president 
and  L.  W.  Gilland,  vice-president.  At  the  close  of  business 
on  April  3,  1923,  the  Wee  Nee  Bank  showed  its  resources 
as  $318,644.97.  Its  officers  then  were  Thomas  Mc¬ 
Cutchen,  president;  L.  W.  Gilland,  vice-president;  W.  W. 
Holliday,  cashier;  and  H.  L.  Prosser,  assistant  cashier, 
Directors :  H.  E.  Montgomery,  W.  V.  Strong,  T.  K.  Smith, 

J.  K.  Smith,  Thomas  McCutchen,  L.  C.  Dove,  and  L.  W. 
Gilland. 


500 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


The  stockholders  of  the  Bank  of  Lane  met  in  the  office 
of  J.  A.  McCullough  at  Lane  June  3,  1919.  It  was  an¬ 
nounced  that  all  of  the  $25,000  proposed  capital  stock 
had  been  taken,  whereupon  the  stockholders  present 
elected  the  following  directors:  S.  W.  McClary,  J.  A. 
McCullough,  H.  P.  Brown,  R.  L.  Pass,  J.  C.  Graham.  J. 
B.  Clarkson,  and  A.  C.  Hinds.  The  following  were  chosen 
officers:  J.  C.  Graham,  president;  J.  A.  McCullough, 
vice-president;  E.  D.  McCullough,  cashier. 

The  above  named  officers  and  directors  of  the  Bank  of 
Lane  were  in  charge  on  April  3,  1923,  when  the  statement 
of  the  condition  of  the  bank  showed  its  capital  stock 
$25,000.00  and  its  resources  $67,625.25. 

The  Bank  of  Cades  was  organized  in  1912  with  the  fol¬ 
lowing  board  of  directors :  W.  B.  Wilson,  F.  L.  Willcox, 
L.  G.  Brock,  J.  L.  McFadden,  W.  E.  Nesmith,  Thomas 
Wilson,  W.  W.  Singletary,  V.  G.  Arnette,  and  H.  F.  Fene- 
gan.  The  following  officers  were  elected  on  June  12,  1912 : 
W.  B.  Wilson,  president;  Y.  G.  Arnette,  vice-president; 

H.  J.  Fenegan,  cashier.  The  Bank  opened  for  business 
October  21,  1912,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $10,000.00. 

At  the  close  of  business  on  April  3,  1923,  this  Bank 
showed  as  resources  $50,268.75.  The  officers  were  Y.  G. 
Arnette,  president;  T.  J.  Cottingham,  vice-president;  and 
R.  L.  Coleman,  cashier.  Directors:  Y.  G.  Arnette,  W. 

I.  Hodges,  T.  J.  Cottingham,  W.  E.  Nesmith,  and  J.  B. 
Wallace. 

The  Bank  of  Hemingway  was  organized  in  1912  by  Dr. 
W.  C.  Hemingway,  H.  L.  Baker,  H.  E.  Eaddy,  and  N.  M. 
Yenters.  It  began  business  with  a  capital  stock  of 
$15,000.00  and  with  the  following  as  officers,  Dr.  W.  C. 
Hemingway,  president;  F.  E.  Huggins,  vice-president;  and 

J.  A.  Doyle,  cashier.  Directors :  W.  C.  Hemingway, 
H.  L.  Baker,  J.  E.  Hemingway,  W.  C.  Rollins,  F.  E.  Hug¬ 
gins,  H.  E.  Eaddy,  J.  M.  Eaddy,  N.  M.  Yenters,  and  John 
Richardson,  Jr.  This  Bank  paid  regular  8%  dividends 


BANKING  IN  WILLIAMSBURG 


501 


annually  to  stockholders  until  1920,  when  the  capital 
stock  was  increased  from  $15, 000.00  to  $50,000.00  and  the 
old  stockholders  received  that  year  50%  stock  dividend 
and  a  cash  dividend  of  26%.  The  present  officers  of  the 
Bank  are:  F.  E.  Huggins,  president;  George  S.  Heming¬ 
way,  vice-president;  and  D.  G.  Huggins,  cashier.  Direc¬ 
tors:  F.  E.  Huggins,  George  S.  Hemingway,  W.  D.  Har¬ 
mon,  E.  T.  Gaskins,  W.  A.  Lawrimore,  A.  E.  Flowers, 
H.  L.  Baker,  J.  R.  Newman,  and  D.  G.  Huggins. 

The  Bank  of  Trio  began  business  with  a  capital  stock 
of  $30,000.00  on  November  26,  1918,  with  the  following 
officers  and  directors:  Officers,  W.  T.  Rowell,  president; 
J.  W.  Moore,  vice-president;  and  E.  M.  Pate,  cashier; 
directors,  A.  C.  Boyd,  J.  W.  Register,  J.  H.  Rowell,  J. 
W.  Moore,  W.  T.  Rowell,  H.  N.  Shepard,  and  E.  C.  Epps. 

The  statement  of  this  Bank  at  the  close  of  business  on 
April  3,  1923,  showed  as  resources  $66,182.88.  The  fol¬ 
lowing  were  then  officers  and  directors :  W.  T.  Rowell, 
president;  J.  W.  Register,  vice-president;  E.  M.  Pate, 
cashier;  J.  H.  Rowell,  secretary;  Miss  Helen  Hinnant, 
bookkeeper;  directors:  W.  T.  Rowell,  J.  W.  Register, 
J.  H.  Rowell,  A.  B.  Cooper,  H.  N.  Shepard,  J.  W.  Moore, 
and  E.  C.  Epps. 

The  Farmers  Bank  of  Greelyville  was  organized  in 
1919  with  the  following  as  officers  and  directors:  Dr.  J. 
F.  Haselden,  president;  H.  P.  Brown,  vice-president;  and 
C.  H.  Rehberg,  cashier;  directors:  H.  D.  Ferrell,  I.  C. 
Player,  G.  M.  Beasley,  W.  N.  Clarkson,  J.  R.  Haynes- 
worth,  A.  B.  Spivey,  C.  A.  Heins,  J.  W.  Harrington,  and 
H.  P.  Brown. 

The  resources  of  this  Bank  at  the  close  of  business  on 
April  3,  1923,  were  $64,739.50.  Its  capital  stock  was 
then  $21,450.00.  The  following  were  officers  and  direc¬ 
tors:  J.  P.  Gamble,  president;  H.  P.  Brown,  vice-presi¬ 
dent;  C.  H.  Rehberg,  cashier;  directors:  E.  B.  Rhodus, 


502 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


J.  P.  Gamble,  W.  N.  Clarkson,  J.  W.  Harrington,  P.  R. 
Keels,  H.  P.  Brown,  and  I.  C.  Player. 

The  Peoples  Bank  of  Hemingway  began  business  on 
July  19,  1920,  with  a  capital  stock  of  $29,210.00  and  with 
the  following  officers  and  directors :  Officers,  D.  H.  Oliver, 
president;  J.  M.  G.  Faddy,  vice-president;  J.  B.  Bushart, 
cashier ;  directors :  D.  H.  Oliver,  J.  M.  G.  Faddy,  S.  J. 
Haselden,  N.  M.  Venters,  P.  S.  Thomas,  G.  F.  Chandler, 
L.  G.  Day,  R.  W.  Stuckey,  and  L.  B.  Johnson.  On  April  3, 
1923,  the  resources  of  this  Bank  were  $79,231.92  and  the 
following  were  officers  and  directors :  L.  G.  Day,  presi¬ 
dent;  G.  F.  Chandler,  vice-president;  J.  B.  Bushart,  cash¬ 
ier;  B.  J.  Chandler,  G.  F.  Chandler,  W.  H.  Harmon,  S. 
J.  Haselden,  T.  D.  Powers,  D.  H.  Oliver,  J.  M.  G.  Faddy, 
and  N.  M.  Venters. 

There  were  ten  banks  doing  business  in  Williamsburg 
County  on  April  3,  1923.  Their  combined  capital  was 
$465,660.00  and  their  total  resources  $2,264,711.89.  At 
this  time  there  were  still  a  large  number  of  substantial 
men  in  the  County  who  continued  to  do  a  considerable 
part  of  their  banking  business  in  the  city  of  Charleston 
and  also  a  large  number  in  the  northern  part  of  the  County 
who  were  interested  in  the  Lake  City  and  Florence  banks. 
When  it  is  remembered  that  in  1900  there  was  not  a  bank¬ 
ing  institution  in  the  County,  the  foregoing  statements 
show  a  remarkable  financial  growth  within  a  score  of 
years.  There  was  a  fearful  financial  period  that  followed 
in  the  wake  of  the  World  War,  called  Deflation,  and  the 
banks  in  Williamsburg  in  common  with  all  of  the  banks 
in  rural  sections  suffered  severely,  but  the  innate  honesty 
and  the  emergency  energy  of  these  “indwellers  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg^  slowly  but  certainly  worked  out  the  salvation 
of  all  their  banks  and  all  of  them  now  are  going  strong 
for  a  friendly  future. 


CHAPTER  XXXVIII. 


THROBBING  WAR  DRUMS  CALL. 

The  Spanish- American  War  in  1898  did  not  arouse  so 
much  enthusiasm  in  Williamsburg  as  in  some  parts  of 
the  United  States.  This  County,  however,  furnished  a 
number  of  volunteers  for  this  short,  decisive  conflict. 
Among  those  who  served  may  be  mentioned  Surgeon 
John  Boyd,  Navy;  Artificer  J.  C.  Kinder,  Fifteenth  United 
States  Infantry;  Leroy  Lee,  Cosmo  E.  Brockinton,  and 
Franklin  L.  McCullough,  Heavy  Artillery,  South  Caro¬ 
lina  Volunteers;  R.  H.  Tisdale,  B.  M.  Mitchum,  A.  L. 
Epps,  H.  A.  Strong,  John  West,  Walter  McElveen,  Arthur 
Graham,  Edward  Shirer,  Richard  J.  Ferdon,  Charles 
E.  Epps,  W.  O.  Thomas,  Robert  Cox,  R.  L.  Wise,  John 
McCullough,  and  Willie  Holleman,  Second  South  Caro¬ 
lina  Volunteer  Infantry. 

When  the  United  States  entered  the  World  War  on 
April  6,  1917,  several  men  immediately  volunteered  their 
services,  among  whom  were :  Constant  Miller,  Eugene 
King,  G.  H.  Wilkins,  Clarence  Allsbrook,  Sam  Caldwell, 
A.  W.  McIntosh,  J.  H.  Oliver,  W.  J.  Britton,  J.  D.  Brit¬ 
ton,  J.  H.  Scott,  S.  D.  McGill,  Will  McCullough,  Tom 
Phillips,  T.  M.  Chandler,  W.  G.  Gamble,  Deems  Baylor, 
Motte  Hanna,  Desmore  Tisdale,  William  Crawford,  Jack 
McCullough,  Charlie  Blakeley,  Earl  Cook,  Ed  Vause,  Xeal 
Dufford,  Carlyle  My  rick,  Isham  Boykin,  Joseph  H.  Fer¬ 
don,  Laurie  Lewis,  Ozzie  Lovett,  Julius  P.  Gamble,  Thad 
McCullough,  Herbert  Haselden,  Bartow  Burgess,  Bennie 
Frierson,  J.  M.  McDaniel,  Navy;  David  Wilmotte  Hanna; 
Walter  Battiste,  Navy;  Edward  C.  Thompson,  Navy; 
Hazel  Strong;  Clarence  Brunson,  Navy;  B.  H.  Lesesne, 
Marines;  A.  D.  Brown,  Navy,  on  the  Florida  as  sailmaker; 
John  B.  Ferdon,  C.  B.  Ferdon,  Jr.  Nearly  all  of  these  men 
were  veterans  of  the  Mexican  Border  campaign  of  1916. 


504 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Almost  as  soon  as  the  United  States  entered  the  World 
War,  Congress  enacted  legislation  calling  into  the  mili¬ 
tary  service  of  the  nation  all  men  between  the  ages  of 
twenty-one  and  thirty-one  years  of  age  and  providing 
ways  and  means  of  recruiting  these  men.  In  every  county 
in  every  state  in  the  Union  there  was  created  a  commis¬ 
sion,  known  as  the  Local  Board,  and  composed  of  three 
men,  one  of  them  an  active,  influential  physician  and 
the  other  two  vigorous,  substantial  citizens.  These  local 
boards  were  charged  with  the  registration,  examination, 
and  induction  of  every  man  into  the  military  service. 
Under  the  law,  certain  classes  of  men,  married  men  with 
dependent  families,  others  regarded  as  more  valuable  in 
the  industrial  and  commercial  life  of  the  nation  than  they 
could  have  been  in  military  service,  and  yet  other  classes, 
were  exempt  from  the  military  service.  These  local  boards 
were  charged  with  the  duty  of  determining  individuals 
for  military  service  and  those  exempt  under  the  law. 
These  boards  were  popularly  known  as  “Exemption 
boards.”  It  has  been  often  said  that  no  man  serving  the 
country  during  the  World  War  had  more  difficult  duty 
to  perform  than  the  members  of  these  local  boards,  nor  did 
any  governmental  agency  function  more  wisely  and  well 
than  they.  All  the  world  wonders  at  the  work  they  per¬ 
formed. 

The  Local  Board  for  the  County  of  Williamsburg  was 
originally  composed  of  J.  D.  O’Bryan,  chairman,  H.  O. 
Britton,  and  Dr.  T.  S.  Hemingway.  Mr.  O’Bryan  re¬ 
signed  when  he  learned  that  he  was  within  the  “draft 
age”  and  volunteered.  L.  W.  Gilland  succeeded  him. 
During  the  summer  of  1917,  Mr.  Gilland  was  stricken 
with  a  serious  illness  which  required  his  resignation.  Le¬ 
roy  Lee  was  appointed  as  his  successor  and  served  until 
the  end  of  the  War.  It  is  hardly  possible  for  anyone  who 
did  not  serve  as  a  member  of  one  of  these  County  Local 


LIEUT.  COL.  EDWARD  C.  REGISTER,  U.  S.  A 


THROBBING  WAR  DRUMS  CALL 


505 


Boards  to  realize  the  task  thrust  upon  them  nor  how  try¬ 
ing  were  their  labors. 

There  were  many  officers  from  Williamsburg  in  the 
World  War.  Following  will  be  found  something  about 
them  and  their  records  in  the  military  service. 

John  H.  Woodberry  was  born  near  Hemingway  Febru¬ 
ary  22,  1890,  was  appointed  cadet,  United  States  Military 
Academy,  West  Point,  March  1,  1910,  graduated  June 
12,  1914,  and  was  appointed  Second  Lieutenant,  Eighth 
Cavalry.  He  was  promoted  Captain  May  15,  1917 ;  Major, 
Ordnance  Department,  January  12,  1918;  and  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  Ordnance  Department,  August  2,  1919.  After 
the  War,  he  resumed  his  rank  as  Major  of  Ordnance, 
United  States  Army,  where  he  now  serves. 

Philip  H.  Stoll  resigned  as  Solicitor  of  this  Judicial 
District,  volunteered  for  military  service  and  was  com¬ 
missioned  Major  in  the  Judge  Advocate  General’s  Depart¬ 
ment  September  4,  1917.  He  was  assigned  to  duty  as 
Judge  Advocate  of  the  Twelfth  Division,  Camp  Devens, 
Massachusetts.  He  was  promoted  Lieutenant  Colonel  and 
Judge  Advocate  October  10,  1918,  serving  until  honorably 
discharged  from  the  military  service,  February  6,  1919. 
Colonel  Stoll  was  chosen,  at  a  special  election  in  1919, 
member  of  the  United  States  House  of  Representatives, 
and  reelected  in  1920,  serving  until  March  4,  1923.  He 
was  a  member  of  the  Military  Committee  and  favored 
Ford’s  Muscle  Shoals  project.  Colonel  Stoll  was  chairman 
of  the  Williamsburg  Democratic  Executive  Committee 
from  1908  until  1918,  was  one  of  the  organizers  of  the 
Bank  of  Williamsburg.  He  is  a  trustee  and  steward  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church  in  Kingstree.  He  married 
Miss  Evelyn  Cunningham  and  they  have  four  children. 

Edward  Chauncey  Register  was  graduated  from  the 
Citadel  in  1905,  attended  the  Medical  College  of  Virginia 
in  Richmond,  Va.,  from  which  he  was  graduated  in  1908. 
He  was  an  interne  at  Roper  Hospital,  Charleston,  S.  C., 


506 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


until  June  1909.  He  practiced  medicine  in  North  Caro¬ 
lina  until  March  19,  1910,  when  he  entered  the  Medical 
Corps,  United  States  Army.  He  was  graduated  from  the 
Army  Medical  School  in  March  1911  and  was  sent  to  the 
Texas  border.  He  married  Miss  Jeannie  DuBose  Hey¬ 
ward  of  Charleston,  S.  C.,  on  June  1,  1911.  From  July 
16,  1911  to  April  26,  1913,  he  was  stationed  at  Fort  Mc¬ 
Pherson,  Ga. ;  from  June  3,  1913  until  October  15,  1915, 
on  foreign  service  in  the  Philippine  Islands  and  China. 
On  his  return  to  the  United  States  in  November  1915, 
he  was  stationed  at  Fortress  Monroe  and  Fort  Screven, 
Ga.,  until  March  11,  1916,  when  he  was  ordered  into  Mex¬ 
ico  with  Pershing’s  Expedition.  He  remained  in  Mexico 
until  February  1917,  was  taken  ill  in  March  1917,  and 
was  on  sick  report  until  February  1918,  when  he  was 
ordered  to  Camp  Lee,  Petersburg,  Va.,  Camp  McArthur, 
Waco,  Texas,  and  Camp  Greene,  Charlotte,  N.  C.,  with 
the  medical  department  of  the  Air  Service  for  a  few 
months  at  each  place.  In  August  1918,  he  was  ordered 
to  Washington  for  duty  in  the  Surgeon  General’s  office 
and  had  charge  of  the  Medical  Department  of  the  Student 
Army  Training  Corps.  In  December  1918,  he  was  ordered 
to  Charleston,  S.  C.,  where  he  was  in  charge  of  the  Med¬ 
ical  Department  of  the  debarkation  of  troops  from  Europe. 
In  July  1919,  he  was  ordered  to  France  and  assisted  with 
the  rehabilitation  of  the  German  prisoners.  He  assisted 
with  the  closing  of  the  American  hospitals  in  France 
and  the  disposing  of  the  property  to  the  French  Govern¬ 
ment.  In  September  1919,  he  volunteered  to  join  the 
American  Polish  Relief  Expedition,  organized  for  the 
purpose  of  fighting  typhus  fever,  which  was  threatening 
to  wipe  out  the  entire  population.  He  reported  to  War¬ 
saw  to  Colonel  Gilchrist  and  volunteered  to  go  to  Tar- 
nopol,  the  very  worst  place  in  the  whole  country,  to  es¬ 
tablish  hospitals  and  disinfecting  stations.  With  only 
an  interpreter,  he  set  out  for  Tarnopol.  He  found  there 


THROBBING  WAR  DRUMS  CALL 


507 


a  frightful  condition  but,  in  spite  of  almost  overpower¬ 
ing  obstacles,  he  established  three  hospitals  and  many 
disinfecting  stations.  Refugees  poured  through  Tarnopol 
by  the  thousands  and  each  one  had  to  be  examined.  When 
he  volunteered  for  the  duty,  he  knew  that  forty-five  doc¬ 
tors  had  alreadv  sacrificed  their  lives  there.  He  was  the 
only  American  there.  He  was  taken  ill  with  typhus 
fever  on  December  18,  1919,  and  died  on  January  3,  1920. 
He  was  given  the  Distinguished  Service  Medal  by  the 
United  States.  The  Polish  Government  awarded  him  two 
decorations,  one  “The  Polish  Cross,- ”  the  other  “The  Cross 
of  the  Valiant. ”  He  is  buried  in  the  Churchyard  of  St. 
Philip’s  Episcopal  Church,  Charleston,  S.  C.  He  is  sur¬ 
vived  by  his  widow  and  one  daughter,  Jane  DuBose  Regis¬ 
ter,  born  April  29,  1912.  He  was  First  Lieutenant  from 
1910  to  1914;  Captain  from  1914  to  1918;  Major  from  Feb¬ 
ruary  1918  to  July  1918,  when  he  was  made  Lieutenant 
Colonel,  which  rank  he  held  at  the  time  of  his  death. 

Clarence  D.  Jacobs,  M.  D.,  was  commissioned  First 
Lieutenant  of  the  Medical  Reserve  Corps  June  5,  1917, 
and  ordered  into  active  service  at  Fort  Oglethorpe, 
Georgia,  August  4,  1917.  He  was  transferred  to  Camp 
Lee,  Virginia,  October  1917.  He  was  assigned  to  the  Med¬ 
ical  Detachment  of  the  Five  Hundred  Eleventh  Engineer 
Battalion  in  January  1918,  when  this  organization  was 
formed,  and  went  to  France  with  this  battalion.  He  was 
commissioned  Captain  Medical  Corps,  United  States  Army, 
August  20,  1918,  and  promoted  Major,  May  2,  1919.  He 
returned  to  the  United  States  with  the  Five  Hundred 
Eleventh  Engineer  Battalion  in  June  1919,  and  was  then 
honorably  discharged  from  the  military  service.  Major 
Jacobs  married  Miss  Banna  L.  Wilkins.  They  have  three 
sons. 

Benton  McQueen  Montgomery,  M.  I).,  volunteered  and 
was  commissioned  First  Lieutenant,  Medical  Reserve 
Corps,  August  18,  1917,  and  assigned  to  duty  with  the  One 


508 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


Hundred  Seventh  Ambulance  Company  and  later  with  the 
One  Hundred  Fifth  Infantry.  He  served  in  the  Diche- 
busch  sector,  Belgium,  during  summer  of  1918,  and  in 
the  battles  breaking  the  Hindenberg  line  along  the  La 
Salle  River,  Jonc  de  Mer  Ridge,  and  St.  Maurice  River 
September  and  October  1918.  His  duties  required  that 
he  work  farthest  to  the  front”  in  first  line  dressing  sta¬ 
tions  and  often  he  was  attending  wounded  under  shell 
fire.  He  was  honorably  discharged  April  2,  1919.  Dr. 
Montgomery  married  Miss  Mayna  Claffy  of  Orangeburg, 
S.  C.,  and  they  have  two  children. 

Delos  D.  McKenzie  was  discharged  as  a  sergeant  in 
the  Marine  Corps  in  July  13,  1917,  to  receive  commission 
as  First  Lieutenant  of  Marines.  His  discharge  as  an 
enlisted  man  in  the  Marines  shows  that  his  service  therein 
was  of  the  highest  degree.  It  shows  him:  “An  expert 
rifleman ;  gun  pointer  of  the  first  class ;  military  efficiency, 
excellent;  obedience,  excellent;  sobriety,  excellent;  ser¬ 
vice,  honest  and  faithful;  battles,  Chateau-Thierry  front, 
June  1  to  July  6,  1918.”  After  being  commissioned,  Lieu¬ 
tenant  McKenzie  was  assigned  to  the  Sixth  Regiment  of 
Marines  and  participated  in  battles  of  Marne  counter 
offensive,  Soissons  front,  July  18-19;  was  wounded  July 
19,  by  machine  gun  bullets  and  high  explosive  shell,  and 
sent  to  hospital  for  ten  weeks.  Lie  rejoined  his  organi¬ 
zation  September  20,  and  fought  about  Blanc  Mont;  Meuse 
Argonne  offensive  October  30  to  November  11,  1918. 
From  November  17  to  December  13,  he  marched  three 
hundred  forty-two  kilometres  into  Germany,  occupying 
area  of  Coblenz  Bridgehead. 

Walter  H.  Harper,  M.  D.,  was  commissioned  first  Lieu¬ 
tenant  in  the  Medical  Corps  of  the  Naval  Reserve  Force 
in  New  York  City  August  12,  1918,  and  sent  to  duty  at 
the  Naval  Proving  Grounds,  Indian  Head,  Maryland, 
where  he  started  the  Medical  Hospital  and  remained  in 


THROBBING  WAR  DRUMS  CALL 


509 


charge  until  he  was  honorably  discharged  from  service 
in  the  Navy  on  March  26,  1919. 

Junius  M.  McIntosh  entered  service  as  a  civilian  in  the 
First  Officers  Training  Camp,  Fort  Oglethorpe,  May  15, 
1917,  and  was  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  in  the 
Quartermasters  Corps,  August  15,  1917.  He  served  at 
Camp  Jackson  and  Camp  Joseph  E.  Johnson  until  June 
28,  1918.  He  sailed  for  France  with  the  American  Expe¬ 
ditionary  Forces,  July  6,  1918;  on  duty  with  them  until 
July  9,  1919.  On  duty  with  Motor  Truck  Company 
438,  Motor  Supply  Train  414,  Headquarters  First 
Army  Corps  and  Headquarters  First  Army.  On  duty 
in  the  following  sectors  and  engagements:  1  Yesle 
Sector,  Chateau  Thierry  Salient,  August  11-13;  2  Toul 
Sector,  August  20  to  September  12 ;  3  St.  Miheil  offensive, 
September  12-16;  4  Verdun  Sector,  September  26;  5  Meuse 
Argonne  Offensive,  September  26  to  November  11,  1918. 
He  was  promoted  to  First  Lieutenant,  May  3,  1919,  and 
Captain  on  May  6,  1919.  He  was  commanding  officer  of 
Motor  Truck  Company  441,  when  this  organization  re¬ 
turned  to  the  United  States  on  July  5,  1919.  He  was  hon¬ 
orably  discharged  July  9, 1919,  at  Camp  Upton,  New  York. 

William  Gadsden  Gamble,  Jr.,  was  the  first  volunteer 
from  Williamsburg  when  the  call  to  the  Colors  was  made 
in  1916  for  service  on  the  Mexican  Border.  He  was  then 
eighteen.  He  served  as  musician  in  the  Second  South 
Carolina  Infantry,  doing  outpost  duty  on  the  Rio  Grande 
River  during  the  fall  and  winter  of  1916.  Honorably  dis¬ 
charged  as  Sergeant  Company  D,  Second  South  Carolina 
Infantry,  July  16,  1917,  and  recalled  July  25,  1917,  being 
sent  to  Camp  Jackson.  From  Camp  Jackson  he  was  trans¬ 
ferred  to  the  One  Hundred  Fifth  Ammunition  Train  at 
Camp  Sevier  and  later  to  the  Ordnance  Corps  and  made 
Ordnance  Sergeant  October  4,  1917.  Later  he  was  pro¬ 
moted  to  Chief  Ordnance  Sergeant.  He  sailed  from  the 
United  States  to  France  May  26,  1918,  and  served  at  the 


510 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


front  from  August  15  to  November  11,  1918,  participat¬ 
ing  in  St.  Mihiel  offensive,  Meuse  Argonne  offensive,  Woe- 
vere  offensive,  Defense  of  Toul  Sector  and  of  the  Woevere. 
He  served  in  the  Army  of  Occupation  from  November  11, 

1918,  until  his  return  to  the  United  States,  March  26, 

1919.  He  was  honorably  discharged  at  Camp  Jackson, 
April  3,  1918.  He  married  Miss  Lucy  Hammond  in  1917, 
and  they  have  three  children. 

J.  D.  O’Bryan  entered  second  Training  School,  Fort 
Oglethorpe,  Ga.,  August  1917,  and  after  having  served  one 
month  was  discharged  on  account  of  underweight.  He  was 
inducted  into  service  April  1918  and  sent  to  Camp  Jack- 
son.  In  Mav  1918  he  entered  the  Fourth  Officers  Train- 

e/ 

ing  School  at  Camp  Sevier  when  in  July  1918  he  was  trans¬ 
ferred  to  Machine  Gun  Training  School,  Camp  Hancock, 
Ga.  He  was  commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  of  Infantry 
in  October  1918  and  assigned  to  Company  Twenty-Eight, 
Fourth  Group,  Motor  Train  Detachment,  Camp  Hancock, 
Ga.  In  November  of  1918  he  was  transferred  to  Company 
Twenty-Seven,  Fourth  Group,  Motor  Train  Detachment, 
and  placed  in  command  of  Company,  remaining  there  until 
discharged  January  9,  1919.  He  married  Mrs.  Marian 
McCabe  and  they  have  two  children. 

D.  W.  Register  was  commissioned  a  First  Lieutenant 
in  the  Medical  Corps  of  the  Navy  in  May  1917,  served 
during  the  World  War,  and  resigned  in  1922.  He  was 
graduated  in  1914  from  College  of  Physicians  and  Sur¬ 
geons,  Atlanta,  in  1914,  and  settled  in  Atlanta  to  practice 
his  profession  after  his  service  in  the  Navy. 

McBride  McFadden  enlisted  at  Fort  Screven,  Ga.,  on 
April  23,  1918.  On  May  1,  1918  he  was  sent  to  Camp 
Oglethorpe  with  the  Seventeenth  Infantry.  He  was  trans¬ 
ferred  on  May  15  to  Fort  McPherson,  Ga.  On  July  15  of 
the  same  year  he  went  to  Camp  Meade,  Maryland,  where 
he  was  appointed  First  Sergeant  of  Company  C,  Seventy- 
Second  Infantry,  about  the  eighteenth  day  of  July.  Soon 


SERGEANT  LEROY  W.  SMITH,  U.  S.  A. 


THROBBING  WAR  DRUMS  CALL 


511 


afterward,  he  was  transferred  to  Field  Artillery  Central 
Officers  Training  School,  Camp  Taylor,  Kentucky,  and 
commissioned  Second  Lieutenant  of  Artillery  on  October 
9 ;  was  instructor  in  the  Fifty-Fifth  Training  Battery  until 
November  twenty-third,  when  he  went  to  School  of  Fire, 
Fort  Sill,  Oklahoma,  where  he  was  graduated  February  1, 
1919.  He  joined  the  Second  Field  Artillery  at  Camp  Taylor 
and  remained  there  until  discharged  in  August  1919, 
Second  Lieutenant  of  Battery  D. 

Clinton  A.  Clarkson  and  Julius  P.  Gamble  attended 
officers  training  camps  and  were  commissioned  as  Second 
Lieutenants  of  Infantry.  They  served  until  the  end  of  the 
War,  when  Lieutenant  Gamble  was  honorably  discharged 
from  the  military  service,  but  Lieutenant  Clarkson  ac¬ 
cepted  a  transfer  to  the  Officers  Reserve  Corps,  United 
States  Army,  electing  to  remain  ready  on  call.  Loraine 
Funk  was  commissioned  a  second  lieutenant  of  Infantry 
and  served  during  the  war. 

Leroy  Watson  Smith  was  born  near  Cades  April  21, 
1895.  He  entered  the  military  service  September  21,  1917, 
and  became  a  Sergeant  of  Company  F,  118th  Infantry, 
Thirtieth  Division.  Shortly  after  his  arrival  in  France, 
he  was  placed  in  charge  of  Battalion  Scouts  and  was  held 
responsible  for  their  instruction.  He  developed  this 
group  of  men  into  an  effective  force.  He  participated  in 
the  Ypres-Lys  offensive  and  the  Somme  offensive,  Ypres 
trench  sector,  Bellicourt,  Montbrehain,  Bohain,  Brans- 
court,  and  St.  Martins.  Sergeant  Smith  was  awarded 
by  the  United  States  government  the  Distinguished  Ser¬ 
vice  Cross  for  Valor  under  Fire,  and  the  British  Empire 
its  medal  “For  Bravery  in  the  Field.”  General  Orders  No. 
6,  paragraph  23,  February  8,  1918,  American  Army  in 
France,  thus  cites  Sergeant  Smith :  “During  the  attack 
at  St.  Martin’s  Reviere,  17th  October,  1918,  this  non-com¬ 
missioned  officer,  soon  after  the  jump  off,  collapsed  from 
gas,  but  realizing  that  he  possessed  the  only  compass  and 


512 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBUEG 


that  it  would  be  impossible  for  his  company  to  advance 
properly  through  the  smoke  and  fog  without  its  assistance, 
struggled  along  by  his  company  commander,  indicating  the 
proper  direction  with  his  hands,  being  unable  to  speak. 
He  declined  to  go  to  the  rear,  though  violently  ill  at  the 
time,  and  assisted  in  organizing  those  lost  in  the  fog,  and 
later  led  a  patrol  to  establish  liaison  with  the  right  flank 
under  heavy  machine  gun  fire.  His  bravery  and  devotion 
to  duty  was  an  inspiration  to  all  of  his  comrades.” 

There  were  five  men  of  Williamsburg  killed  in  battle 
during  the  World  War:  Four  white — Deems  Baylor, 
October  14,  1918;  William  P.  Camlin,  October  17,  1918; 
David  Wilmot  Hanna,  October  1,  1918;  Thomas  G.  Nor¬ 
ton,  October  8,  1918;  and  one  colored — Walter  Paul,  Sep¬ 
tember  29,  1918. 

The  following  white  soldiers  died  of  disease  during  the 
War:  Edwin  A.  Cribb,  July  11,  1918;  Isaac  E.  Davis, 
November  9,  1918;  Dewey  H.  Douglass,  March  29,  1918; 
Henry  Gilliard,  October  5,  1918;  Joe  E.  Jordan,  Sep¬ 
tember  22,  1918;  Henry  L.  McCants,  October  11,  1918; 
Herbert  J.  McCutchen,  November  16,  1918;  Henry  C. 
Myrick,  January  7,  1918;  Ashton  T.  Nelson,  October  2, 
1918;  Thomas  T.  Pope,  October  12,  1918;  John  H.  Scott, 
November  16,  1918;  Daniel  E.  St.  Louis,  March  14,  1918; 
and  James  A.  Thompson,  October  6,  1918 ;  Henry  C.  Wil¬ 
liamson,  February  10,  1918;  John  A.  Ross,  who  died  of 
pneumonia  two  days  after  being  discharged  from  the 
service  in  1919. 

These  colored  soldiers  died  in  the  service :  Israel  Bur¬ 
gess,  May  14,  1918;  Nathan  Burrows,  October  1,  1918; 
Ben  Cooper,  October  3,  1918;  Mose  Cunningham,  Septem¬ 
ber  29,  1918;  Walter  Fulton,  November  16,  1918;  Ivory 
Gamble,  October  25,  1918;  Carter  Johnson,  October  8, 
1918 ;  Reddick  McClam,  September  23,  1918 ;  William  Mc- 
Clary,  September  30,  1918;  Henry  G.  McClary,  January 
27,  1918;  John  Montgomery,  September  30,  1918;  Felix 


THROBBING  WAR  DRUMS  CALL  513 

Moore,  October  2,  1918;  Richard  Moultrie,  October  10, 
1918;  Harpy  Mouzon,  January  27,  1918;  Allen  Ravebell, 
November  28,  1918;  John  Robinson,  October  15,  1918;  Alec 
Scott,  June  14,  1918;  Sam  Tisdale,  October  3,  1918;  Philip 
Whitfield,  June  28,  1918;  and  Richard  Wilson,  January 
6,  1918. 

Nearly  all  of  the  unmarried  men,  white  and  colored, 
between  the  ages  of  twenty-one  and  thirty-one  years,  in 
Williamsburg  went  into  the  military  service  during  the 
summer  and  fall  of  1917.  The  Local  Board  sent  all  doubt¬ 
ful  cases  to  higher  authority  and  there  were  practically 
none  excused  for  industrial  reasons.  There  were  some 
representatives  from  almost  every  family  in  the  mili¬ 
tary  service  on  January  1,  1918.  While  in  the  beginning 
there  was  no  special  interest  manifest  in  this  County  in 
the  World  War,  there  very  soon  grew  that  intense  patri¬ 
otic  feeling  always  characteristic  of  Williamsburg. 

E.  C.  Epps  was  chairman  of  the  War  Loan  organiza¬ 
tions  in  the  Countv  and  had  as  his  central  advisorv  com- 
mittee  L.  W.  Gilland,  A.  C.  Hinds,  S.  J.  Deery,  M.  A. 
Shuler,  N.  D.  Lesesne,  I.  A.  Calhoun,  G.  A.  McElveen, 
J.  V.  McElveen,  L.  C.  Dove,  J.  D.  O’Bryan,  P.  G.  Gourdin, 
and  G.  T.  Harmon.  These  men  apportioned  the  Liberty 
Bonds  to  the  several  banks  in  the  County  and  these  banks 
sold  them.  P.  G.  Gourdin  was  chairman  of  The  Committee 
for  the  Sale  of  War  Savings  Stamps. 

The  County  was  organized  for  the  American  Red  Cross 
at  the  very  beginning  of  the  War  with  Dr.  D.  P.  Frier¬ 
son  as  County  Chairman.  Dr.  Frierson  had  the  misfor¬ 
tune  to  lose  his  dwelling  house  and  all  its  contents  by  fire 
just  about  this  time  and  the  good  people  of  the  County 
decided  that  he  was  entirely  justified  in  resigning.  The 
Reverend  G.  T.  Harmon  was  elected  to  succeed  him.  Mr. 
Harmon  was  peculiarly  fitted  by  personality  and  interest 
for  this  work.  He  served  during  the  War.  Mrs.  D.  C. 
Scott  was  vice-chairman;  C.  W.  Boswell,  treasurer;  Mrs. 


514 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


P.  O.  Arrowsmith,  secretary.  The  executive  committee 
was  composed  of  the  officers  and  the  following  committee 
chairmen :  Mrs.  W.  G.  Gamble,  extension ;  Mrs.  W.  W. 
Holliday,  membership;  Mrs.  L.  W.  Gilland,  publicity; 
Mrs.  W.  L.  Taylor,  junior  membership;  M.  A.  Shuler, 
finance;  Mrs.  D.  C.  Scott,  woman’s  work;  Mrs.  W.  E. 
Brockinton,  civilian  relief ;  Mrs.  R.  L.  Bass,  military  relief. 
The  standing  committees  were  composed  of  the  respective 
chairmen  above  named  and  the  following:  Finance,  C. 
0.  Burgess,  current  expenses,  and  G.  A.  McElveen,  war 
fund;  extension,  W.  E.  Nesmith,  Mrs.  G.  T.  Harmon,  Mrs. 
A.  C.  Hinds,  and  Miss  Florence  Jacobs;  publicity,  W. 
F.  Tolley,  F.  E.  Bradham,  Mrs.  J.  W.  Swittenberg;  civil¬ 
ian  relief,  J.  F.  McFadden,  Miss  Selma  Thorne,  Thomas 
McCutchen,  W.  H.  Welch;  membership,  Miss  Mamie 
Jacobs,  chairman,  Miss  Amanda  Edwards,  Miss  Ossie 
Epps,  Mrs.  LeRoy  Lee;  junior  membership,  Miss  Belle 
Harper,  Miss  Martha  Jenkinson ;  woman’s  work,  Mrs.  W. 
T.  Wilkins,  purchasing  and  shipping,  Mrs.  T.  E.  Arrow- 
smith,  hospital  garments,  Mrs.  M.  F.  Heller,  knitting, 
Mrs.  W.  E.  Nesmith,  surgical  dressings,  Mrs.  J.  B.  Steele 
work  room. 

The  Williamsburg  Herald  said :  “The  extension  com¬ 
mittee,  working  constantly,  has  organized  twelve  auxil¬ 
iaries.  Much  praise  is  due  to  the  chairman,  Mrs.  W.  G. 
Gamble,  and  to  W.  E.  Nesmith,  first  lieutenant.”  Auxil¬ 
iaries  to  the  Kingstree  chapter  were  organized  all  over  the 
County.  At  Lane,  R.  L.  Bass  was  chairman;  Cades,  Dr. 
W.  J.  Haselden;  Bethel,  R.  C.  McElveen;  Hebron,  J.  W. 
DuBose;  Trio,  W.  T.  Rowell;  Salters,  Reverend  J.  E. 
Clark;  Mouzon,  W.  O.  Fulton;  Sandy  Bay,  J.  N.  McKen¬ 
zie;  Concord,  Hugh  Boyd;  Cedar  Swamp,  J.  G.  McCul¬ 
lough;  Greelyville,  W.  M.  O’Bryan;  Kingstree  (colored), 
Reverend  J.  Holman;  St.  Mary’s  (colored),  Sampson 
Reardon.  Other  auxiliaries  were  organized  at  Goodwill, 
St.  Johns,  Bethlehem,  Oak  Grove,  Bethesda  and  Piney 


THROBBING  WAR  DRUMS  CALL 


515 


Grove.  All  of  the  individuals  on  these  committees  gave 
loving  and  loyal  service  to  their  work.  The  chapter, 
however,  passed  special  resolutions  of  appreciation  for 
that  done  by  Mesdames  P.  O.  Arrowsmith,  W.  L.  Taylor, 
and  D.  C.  Scott. 

The  American  Red  Cross  asked  Williamsburg  for 
$6000.00  in  its  second  War  Fund  campaign.  M.  F.  Heller 
was  appointed  chairman  of  the  executive  committee  for 
securing  this  amount,  and  with  him  W.  H.  Carr  and  C. 
W.  Stoll,  and  these  special  officers,  Mrs.  P.  O.  Arrow- 
smith,  secretary,  F.  W.  Fairey,  cashier,  Mrs.  L.  W.  Gil- 
land,  publicity,  S.  J.  Deery,  speakers,  Mrs.  T.  E.  Arrow- 
smith,  captain  of  women’s  team,  W.  R.  Scott,  captain  of 
men’s  team,  and  the  following  auxiliary  team  captains; 
C.  A.  Heins,  Miss  Mellie  Ferrell,  J.  N.  McKenzie,  Mrs. 
Garfield  McKenzie,  John  Burgess,  Mrs.  Bishop  Burgess, 
Mrs.  Y.  G.  Arnette,  W.  M.  O’Bryan,  Mrs.  J.  P.  Gamble, 
Willie  Cooper,  Miss  Pet  Hanna,  Alex  Tisdale,  Miss  Beth 
McGill,  W.  D.  Bryan,  Mrs.  B.  A.  Brown,  W.  T.  Rowell, 
Miss  Gertrude  Anderson,  W.  O.  Camlin,  Miss  Flossie 
Kellahan,  Reverend  J.  C.  Everett,  Miss  Emmie  Ferrell, 
J.  R.  Barrow,  Mrs.  J.  R.  Barrow,  W.  M.  Bradham,  T. 
W.  Boyle,  Mrs.  E.  O.  Taylor,  W.  D.  Fulton,  Mrs.  T.  Ful¬ 
ton,  J.  B.  Wallace,  Miss  Olive  Smith,  S.  L.  Parsons,  Miss 
Helen  Hinnant,  R.  L.  Bass,  Mrs.  W.  McClarv,  G.  W.  Cam¬ 
lin,  W.  I.  Hodges,  H.  P.  Brown,  Thomas  McCutchen, 
S.  A.  Guerry,  Mrs.  T.  M.  Cooper,  Elmer  Rodgers,  J.  W. 
Register,  and  W.  J.  Smiley. 

President  Woodrow  Wilson  set  apart  by  proclamation 
the  week  beginning  May  20,  1918,  as  Red  Cross  week  for 
all  the  United  States.  Since  May  tenth  has  always  been 
since  1865  “big  day”  in  Kingstree,  special  authority  was 
obtained  from  the  National  Red  Cross  to  begin  here  on 
that  day.  Chairman  Heller  and  his  associates  prepared 
a  programme  for  that  day  that  brought  a  large  number  of 
people  to  Kingstree  and  $6400.00  was  obtained,  $400.00 


516 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBUEG 


more  than  had  been  asked.  When  the  executive  committee 
gathered  together  that  evening,  every  one  was  pleased. 
0.  W.  Stoll  arose  immediately  after  the  $6400.00  had  been 
counted  and  said:  “We  have  more  money  than  the  Red 
Cross  asked  us  to  give,  but  this  campaign  begins  May  20. 
Let  us  work  this  whole  county  for  funds  for  the  Red 
Cross.”  And  it  was  done.  Mrs.  L.  W.  Gilland,  publicity 
chairman,  kept  writing  articles  for  the  county  newspapers. 
S.  J.  Deery,  speakers  chairman,  arranged  for  community 
meetings  in  every  church  and  school  house,  white  and 
colored,  in  the  County  and  sent  three  good  “four  minute 
speakers”  to  each  assembly.  Among  these  speakers  were 
M.  A.  Shuler,  G.  O.  Epps,  M.  F.  Montgomery,  A.  C.  Hinds, 
J.  Y.  McGill,  E.  C.  Epps,  G.  M.  Beasley,  L.  W.  Gilland, 
Hugh  McCutchen,  W.  E.  Nesmith,  G.  A.  McElveen,  W. 
E.  Snowden,  T.  Olin  Epps,  Reverend  G.  T.  Harmon,  J. 
J.  M.  Graham,  W.  I).  Bryan,  F.  E.  Bradham,  R.  L.  Bass, 
Reverend  W.  I.  Sinnott,  Thomas  McCutchen,  H.  E.  Mont¬ 
gomery,  J.  Monroe  McKenzie,  D.  E.  McCutchen,  J.  G. 
McCullough,  R.  C.  McElveen,  and  Reverend  E.  A.  Mc¬ 
Dowell.  These  speakers  and  the  publicity  newspaper 
work  done  by  Mrs.  Gilland  aroused  such  beautiful  sen¬ 
timent  that  having  been  asigned  a  quota  of  six  thousand 
dollars  for  the  Red  Cross  the  people  of  Williamsburg 
actually  contributed  more  than  thirty-six  thousand  dol¬ 
lars.  Chairman  Heller  was  given  a  vote  of  thanks  for 
his  effective  work.  Among  the  negroes  who  were  espec¬ 
ially  active  in  Red  Cross  work  in  the  County  may  be  men¬ 
tioned:  Mrs.  Flora  Nesmith,  Dr.  W.  L.  Sellers,  J.  C. 
James,  G.  T.  Martin,  Samuel  Fulton,  H.  P.  Pressley,  T.  J. 
Pendergrass,  Julius  Holman,  J.  A.  Salters,  and  David 
Frierson.  The  negroes  contributed  their  full  share  of 
the  amount  donated  to  the  Red  Cross  in  this  County  and 
responded  promptly  whenever  called  upon  for  work. 

During  the  War,  financial  conditions  in  Williamsburg 
were  good  and  little  aid  beyond  that  furnished  by  the  Gov- 


THROBBING  WAR  DRUMS  CALL 


517 


ernment  was  required  among  the  soldiers’  families.  The 
service  which  the  Red  Cross  rendered  in  maintaining 
commucation  between  the  soldiers  in  Europe  and  their 
families  in  this  country  was  especially  good.  Thousands 
of  comfortable  things  were  made  by  the  women  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  and  sent  through  the  Red  Cross  to  the  soldiers 
in  the  field.  After  the  close  of  the  War,  Reverend  E.  A. 
McDowell  became  chairman  of  the  Red  Cross  in  the 
County.  He  was  succeeded  by  S.  J.  Deerv,  who  assumed 
charge  about  the  time  that  the  returned  soldiers  needed 
so  much  help  in  straightening  out  their  accounts  with 
the  Government  as  well  as  securing  certain  benefits  coming 
to  them.  A  great  many  soldiers  realized  the  results  of 
being  gassed  and  wounded  more  seriously  after  they  had 
returned  to  their  homes  and  begun  their  work  than  they 
had  before  they  began  to  labor.  It  was  during  this  time 
that  the  Red  Cross  employed  Miss  Daisy  Yarn,  a  trained 
Red  Cross  worker,  as  Home  Secretary,  and  for  two  years 
the  Red  Cross  rendered  very  effective  service  for  returned 
soldiers.  Mr.  Deery  declined  re-election  in  November 
1921  and  Thomas  McCutchen  was  chosen  to  succeed  him. 


CHAPTER  XXXIX. 


MANY  THINGS. 

“Tlie  time  has  come,”  the  walrus  said, 

“To  talk  of  many  things ; 

Of  shoes  and  ships  and  sealing  wax, 

Of  cabbages  and  kings.” 

The  “village  of  Kingstree,”  the  county  seat  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg,  was  not  incorporated  until  1866.  The  munici¬ 
pality  then  was  made  to  include  all  that  territory  within 
one  mile  of  the  Court  House,  except  that  Black  River 
should  be  its  western  boundary  line.  The  corporate  limits  of 
the  town  have  remained  unchanged  until  this  day,  1923. 
Until  1885,  the  “Branch”  flowed  almost  at  will  over  the 
eastern  portion  of  the  town  and  these  low  marshy  grounds 
formed  a  most  favorable  breeding  place  for  mosquitoes. 
In  this  year,  when  Captain  G.  P.  Nelson  was  mayor, 
a  canal  was  dug  from  the  old  Scott  saw  mill  dam  in  the 
extreme  northeastern  corner  of  the  town  to  Black  River, 
in  which  channel  all  the  waters  in  this  section  flowed 
rapidly  into  the  river.  Until  this  drainage  work  had  been 
done  nearly  everybody  who  lived  in  Kingstree  from  May 
until  November  suffered  from  malaria  and  frequently 
typhus  played  havoc.  Consequently,  few  people  under¬ 
took  residing  in  Kingstree  at  all;  and  those  few  nearly 
always  migrated  to  the  mountains  of  Western  North 
Carolina  for  the  mosquito  season. 

Until  about  1900,  one  in  Kingstree  might  have  truly 
said  with  the  Ancient  Mariner,  “water,  water,  everywhere, 
and  not  a  drop  to  drink.”  It  was  then  that  artesian  wells 
were  bored  all  over  the  town,  at  street  corners  and  at  pri¬ 
vate  residences,  and  these  wells  began  and  have  contin¬ 
uously  flowed  the  purest  water  obtainable.  One  may  drink 


MANY  THINGS 


519 


and  enjoy  enormous  quantities  of  it  without  discomfort 
or  damage. 

In  1910,  Kingstree  installed  a  system  of  water  works 
and  sewerage  and  then  completed  the  conquest  of  the 
mosquito,  when  it  became  one  of  the  healthiest  towns  in 
the  State.  Malarial  fever,  typhoid  and  typhus  are  now 
practically  unknown  in  Kingstree  and  health  conditions 
are  practically  the  same  in  summer  as  in  winter.  Nobody 
now  goes  from  Kingstree  to  the  mountains  in  order  to 
escape  malaria.  Some  families  migrate  every  summer  but 
they  are  impelled  to  do  so  by  a  long  formed  habit  or  for 
other  considerations  than  health. 

It  was  but  a  few  years  after  Kingstree  had  been  well 
drained  and  pure  artesian  water  obtained  that  people 
commenced  to  regard  the  town  seriously  as  a  place  for 
residence.  The  county,  about  this  time,  began  to  produce 
tobacco  for  market  and  increased  the  cotton  crop.  It 
was  then  that  some  enterprising  citizens  organized  the 
Kingstree  Real  Estate  Company  and  the  Building  and 
Loan  Association,  both  of  which  entered  largely  into  the 
growth  of  the  town. 

The  Kingstree  Real  Estate  Company  was  organized  in 
1905  with  Dr.  D.  C.  Scott,  president;  M.  F.  Heller,  secre¬ 
tary  and  treasurer;  J.  F.  Cooper,  J.  A.  Kelly,  M.  F.  Hel¬ 
ler,  and  Dr.  D.  C.  Scott,  as  directors.  This  company  pur¬ 
chased  sixty-five  acres  of  land  from  the  R.  C.  Logan  estate, 
divided  it  into  lots,  and  offered  it  for  sale  at  reasonable 
prices.  A  number  of  the  younger  citizens  of  Kingstree 
immediately  purchased  lots  and  Newtown  became  within 
a  short  time  a  substantial  addition  to  the  old  town  of 
Kingstree.  Among  the  first  who  erected  residences  in 
Newton  were  W.  II.  Carr,  E.  C.  Burgess,  Mrs.  Lula 
Barr,  W.  M.  Vause,  and  W.  V.  Strong.  Some  years  later 
the  Williamsburg  County  Fair  Association  purchased  a 
part  of  this  land  and  thereon  erected  the  fair  ground  build¬ 
ing  and  established  the  race  track. 


520 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


The  Kingstree  Building  and  Loan  Association  was 
organized  January  10,  1905,  with  J.  A.  Kelley,  president; 
C.  W.  Stoll,  vice-president;  W.  H.  Carr,  secretary  and 
treasurer,  and  the  following  board  of  directors :  J.  A. 
Kelley,  LeRoy  Lee,  Louis  Stackley,  C.  W.  Stoll,  W.  I. 
Nexsen,  W.  H.  Carr,  and  C.  W.  Wolfe.  This  Building  and 
Loan  Association  proved  a  great  factor  in  the  upbuilding 
of  the  town  of  Kingstree.  W.  H.  Carr,  its  secretary  and 
treasurer,  was  tireless  in  his  efforts  and  tactful  and  in¬ 
telligent  in  managing  its  affairs.  Probably  three-fourths 
of  the  residences  erected  in  Kingstree  since  its  organiza¬ 
tion  have  been  built  in  part  through  this  company.  Mr. 
Carr  died  in  1921  and  Roland  D.  Mills  succeeded  as  sec¬ 
retary  and  treasurer. 

A  few  years  after  the  establishment  of  a  tobacco  market 
*/ 

in  Kingstree,  many  serviceable  brick  stores  were  erected 
on  Main  and  Academy  streets;  and  again  from  1918  to 
1920,  when  the  tobacco  market  became  one  of  the  largest 
in  the  State,  many  other  brick  mercantiles  and  four  very 
large  brick  tobacco  sales  warehouses  and  several  prizer- 
ies  were  erected. 

In  1912  the  Kingstree  Electric  Light  and  Ice  Company 
was  formed  with  P.  G.  Gourdin  as  president,  E.  C.  Bur¬ 
gess,  secretary  and  treasurer,  D.  C.  Scott,  Jr.,  as 
manager.  Dr.  D.  C.  Scott  was  the  moving  spirit  of  the 
organization.  The  service  this  company  began  very 
soon  after  incorporation  made  a  distinct  mark  of 
progress  on  the  town.  In  1922,  F.  B.  Adams  purchased 
half  of  the  stock  in  this  Electric  Light  and  Ice  Company 
and  began  an  aggressive  campaign  for  distributing  its 
products.  M.  A.  Ross  has  been  connected  with  this  com¬ 
pany  as  “general  overseer”  and  “man  of  all  work”  ever 
since  its  organization. 

Several  miles  of  asphalt  paving  was  done  in  the  town 
of  Kingstree  in  1922.  The  only  thing  about  this  paving 
that  caused  regret  to  anyone  was  the  removal  of  many  of 


- 


HON.  R.  C.  LOGAN 


MANY  THINGS 


521 


the  beautiful  old  live  oak  trees  planted  in  1812  by  Colonel 
Robert  L.  Witherspoon,  who  undertook,  with  much  suc¬ 
cess,  to  “beautify  certain  streets  in  the  town.”  Enough 
of  these  old  oaks  were  left  on  Main  and  Academy  and 
Church  streets  to  keep  them  beautiful  avenues  for  com¬ 
fortable  homes.  The  live  oaks  on  Hampton  Avenue  were 
planted  by  Dr.  D.  C.  Scott. 

The  County  Record,  the  oldest  newspaper  in  the  County, 
was  established  by  R.  C.  Logan  in  1885.  He  was  its 
editor  for  ten  years  when  it  was  sold  in  succession  to 
E.  G.  Chandler,  W.  E.  Cooke,  and  Louis  J.  Bristow,  each 
of  whom  was  its  editor  for  a  short  period  of  time.  In 
1898,  the  Record  was  purchased  by  Charles  W.  Wolfe, 
who  owned  and  edited  it  until  his  death  in  1915.  The 
paper  was  then  purchased  by  W.  F.  Tolley  and  R.  K. 
Wallace.  Mr.  Wallace  soon  sold  out  his  interest  to  E.  C. 
Epps,  who  transferred  his  rights  therein  to  L.  F.  Cromer. 
In  1923,  the  editor  was  W.  F.  Tolley;  the  owners,  Tolley 
and  Cromer. 

R.  C.  Logan — always  called  “Colonel  Logan” — and  pos¬ 
sibly  if  any  Southern  gentleman  by  virtue  of  worthiness 
as  such  and  for  community  service  ever  deserved  such 
high  military  title,  this  man  was  he, — aided  in  establish¬ 
ing  in  1856  the  first  newspaper  ever  published  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  County.  When  he  volunteered  for  service  in 
the  Confederate  Armv  and  went  as  Lieutenant  of  the  Wee 
Nee  Volunteers  to  Charleston  in  1861,  the  Kingstree  Star 
was  suspended.  After  the  War,  he  re-established  it  and 
ably  edited  it  for  a  number  of  years  during  the  dark  days 
of  reconstruction.  Later  The  Star  was  edited  by  Herbert 
B.  Cunningham.  For  many  years,  Mr.  Logan  was  editor 
of  the  Greenville  Mountaineer  and  for  sometime  connected 
with  the  Charleston  News  and  Courier.  He  was  the 
youngest  signer  of  the  memorable  Ordinance  of  Secession 
of  December  20,  1860,  which  severed  the  bond  between  the 
State  of  South  Carolina  and  the  Federal  Union.  He  was 


522 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


commissioner  in  Equity  from  1862  until  the  County  ad¬ 
ministration  fell  into  the  hands  of  carpet  baggers  after  the 
War.  He  was  very  active  and  powerful  in  fighting  the 
carpet  bagger  administration  in  South  Carolina,  and  was 
one  in  Williamsburg  who  never  forgave  the  usurpers.  He 
married  Susannah  Theresa,  daughter  of  Joseph  Scott, 
who,  with  four  of  their  children,  Mrs.  P.  B.  Thorn,  Walter 
B.  Logan,  George  P.  Logan,  and  Miss  Maude  Logan,  sur¬ 
vived  him  at  his  death  on  September  13,  1905.  Mrs.  Logan 
died  in  1921  at  more  than  eighty-three  years  of  age. 
George  P.  Logan,  a  prominent  attorney  of  Columbia,  died 
in  1923. 

Charles  W.  Wolfe  was  born  near  Benson  April  14,  1870, 
and  was  educated  at  the  Citadel  and  at  Wolford  College. 
He  taught  school  in  South  Carolina  for  some  years,  his 
last  labors  along  this  line  being  as  principal  of  the  Ben- 
nettsville  schools.  After  this  time,  he  attended  a,  business 
college  in  Atlanta.  One  day  while  a  student  there,  the 
Governor  of  Alabama  asked  the  superintendent  of  that 
business  college  if  he  had  a  student  capable  of  becoming 
private  secretary.  The  superintendent  recommended  Mr. 
Wolfe,  who  was  appointed  by  His  Excellency,  the  Gov¬ 
ernor  of  Alabama,  as  his  private  secretary,  in  which  place 
Mr.  Wolfe  served  with  special  distinction.  In  1898,  Mr. 
Wolfe  was  elected  a  member  of  the  County  delegation  in 
the  General  Assembly  and  was  Chairman  of  the  Committee 
on  Public  Printing.  He  was  editor  of  the  County  Record 
from  1898  until  his  death  in  1915,  during  which  time  he 
made  it  outstanding  as  a  weekly  county  paper.  His  edito¬ 
rials  were  read  and  approved  by  the  leading  men  of  the 
State.  During  the  greater  part  of  his  maturer  manhood, 
Mr.  Wolfe  was  a  continuous  sufferer  from  physical  mal¬ 
adies.  This  greatly  handicapped  his  career.  At  the  time 
of  his  death,  he  was  easily  one  of  the  most  popular  men 
in  the  County  and  was  generally  regarded  the  most  bril¬ 
liant.  He  was  descended  from  landgrave  Thomas  Smith, 


MANY  THINGS 


523 


colonial  governor  of  South  Carolina,  and  from  John  Scott, 
of  Williamsburg,  1732,  the  oldest  English  and  Scotch- 
Irish  blood  lines  in  South  Carolina. 

About  forty  years  after  Appamattox,  the  surviving 
veterans  of  the  War  Between  the  Sections  had  grown 
old  and  one  by  one  began  silently  “putting  out  to  sea.” 
The  very  term  “Confederate  Veteran”  has  ever  been  a 
synonym  for  veneration  and  respect,  but  the  passing  of 
these  old  heroes  brought  home  to  Williamsburg  the  duty 
of  perpetuating  the  memory  of  its  Dead  and  of  honoring 
its  Living  Veterans  of  that  War.  Mrs.  D.  C.  Scott 
(Martha  Brockinton)  and  some  other  women  organized 
in  Kingstree  a  chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  Confeder¬ 
acy,  with  Mrs.  Scott  as  its  first  President.  These  good 
women  with  organized  effort  at  once  began  the  beautiful 
labor.  They  gave  new  interest  to  the  celebration  of  Con¬ 
federate  Memorial  Dav,  Mav  tenth,  and  made  it  forever 
a  sacred  day  in  Williamsburg.  With  Mrs.  Scott  as  the 
moving  spirit,  the  Daughters  of  the  Confederacy  and  the 
citizens  of  the  County  erected  in  1910  the  handsome 
granite  monument  at  the  junction  of  Main  and  Academy 
streets  in  Kingstree  to  the  memory  of  Williamsburg’s 
Confederate  Dead.  The  inscriptions  on  this  monument 
were  written  by  Charles  W.  Wolfe.  In  1923,  the  Daugh- 
ters  of  the  Confederacy  had  a  large,  enthusiastic  organi¬ 
zation,  with  Mrs.  T.  S.  Hemingway  (Laura  Cromer)  as 
President.  In  this  year,  the  John  G.  Pressley  Camp  of 
Confederate  Veterans,  Commander  H.  J.  Brown  presid¬ 
ing,  at  its  meeting  in  Kingstree  on  May  tenth,  invited  the 
sons  and  grandsons  of  Confederate  Veterans  to  unite  with 
the  organization  and  make  it  perpetual.  A  large  number 
of  young  men  enrolled  as  members,  each  one  pledging  in 
his  heart  to  keep  alive  the  beautiful  history  and  tradition 
of  the  Confederacy. 

About  1910,  Mrs.  Scott  joined  in  with  the  Pee  Dee  His¬ 
torical  Society  as  the  executive  from  Williamsburg  and 


524 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


assisted  in  publishing  a  revised  and  enlarged  edition  of 
Bishop  Gregg’s  History  of  the  Old  Cheraws.  She  contrib- 
buted  the  addenda  from  this  county  in  that  valuable  work. 
She  also  organized  in  Kingstree  the  Margaret  Gregg  Gor¬ 
don  chapter  of  the  Daughters  of  the  American  Revolution 
and  was  its  first  Regent.  This  organization  revived  much 
interest  in  the  Revolutionary  history  of  the  County  and 
has  been  instrumental  in  collecting  and  preserving  data 
that  would  otherwise  have  been  lost.  Miss  Marion  Mc- 
Fadden  was  Regent  of  this  chapter  in  1923. 

In  1917  the  Williamsburg  Presbyterian  Congregation 

deeded  to  the  Williamsburg  Cemetarv  Association  the  lot 

of  land,  which  it  had  secured  from  Roger  Gordon  in  1738 

and  which  had  been  used  as  its  churchyard,  for  a  burying 

ground  for  the  white  people  of  Kingstree  and  the  vicinity. 

This  cemetery  association  was  composed  of  four  members 

_  _  * 

from  the  Presbyterian  Church:  Mrs.  D.  C.  Scott,  Mrs. 

Christina  J.  Nelson,  Miss  Beulah  Nelson,  and  Mrs.  John 

S.  Fulton;  one  member  from  the  Baptist  Church,  Mrs. 

M.  A.  Shuler;  one  from  the  Episcopal  Church,  Mrs.  W. 

G.  Gamble ;  and  one  from  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 

Mrs.  Julia  S.  Kennedy.  Mrs.  Scott  died  October  8,  1922, 

and  Mrs.  Nelson  became  chairman  of  the  Association.  In 

1910,  R.  H.  Kellahan  died  and  bequeathed  this  cemetery 

association  $3000.00  for  the  use  of  this  board  of  trustees 

in  the  upkeep  of  the  graveyard. 

The  Kingstree  Masonic  Lodge,  Number  46,  was  organi¬ 
zed  in  1859  with  Samuel  W.  Maurice,  Worshipful  Master; 
Angus  McKenzie,  Senior  Warden;  William  E.  Smith, 
Junior  Warden;  and  William  C.  Footman,  Secretary. 
During  Reconstruction  days,  Republican  politicians  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  making  some  negro  members  of  this  lodge,  where¬ 
upon  all  native  white  members  withdrew.  Later,  the  lodge 
roll  was  purged  and  the  order  once  again  became  a  force  in 
Kingstree.  In  1923,  M.  H.  Jacobs  was  Worshipful  Master, 
B.  E.  Clarkson,  Senior  Deacon,  H.  L.  Prosser,  Junior  Dea- 


MANY  THINGS 


525 


con,  and  Donald  Montgomery,  secretary.  In  connection 
with  this  Lodge,  should  be  named  J.  C.  Lanham,  a  com¬ 
mercial  salesman,  who  has  been  coming  to  Kingstree  and 
Williamsburg  for  more  than  thirty  years.  Mr.  Lanham  is  a 
highly  intelligent  member  of  a  distinguished  family.  He 
has  always  been  deeply  interested  in  Masonry,  and  has 
done  much  towards  helping  the  Kingstree  lodge  do  its 
worthy  work. 

Cohen  Whitehead,  a  negro,  was  the  last  of  the  Decon¬ 
struction  postmasters  in  Kingstree.  He  was  succeeded  by 
Mrs.  C.  M.  Chandler,  who  held  office  under  Cleveland.  She 
was  succeeded  by  Louis  Jacobs  in  1898,  who  held  the 
office  until  his  death,  October  13,  1913.  He  was  succeeded 
by  Louis  Stackley,  the  incumbent.  Assisting  Mr. 
Stacklev  in  1923,  under  civil  serice  appointments,  were 
Misses  Annie  Stackley  and  Agnes  Fulton  and  Mrs.  G.  H. 
Wilkins.  G.  H.  Wilkins  was  the  Kingstree  postman. 

Since  Reconstruction  the  mayors  of  Kingstree  have 
been  S.  W.  Maurice,  Dr.  J.  F.  Brockinton,  W.  H.  Kennedy, 
M.  J.  Hirsch,  R.  H.  Kellahan,  Thomas  M.  Gilland,  Louis 
Stackley,  C.  W.  Stoll,  J.  A.  Kelley,  L.  P.  Kinder,  Louis  W. 
Gilland,  M.  A.  Shuler,  and  W.  R.  Scott,  incumbent.  In 
1923,  the  aldermen  of  Kingstree  were :  E.  F.  Martin,  F. 
W.  Fairey,  L.  D.  Rodgers,  H.  A.  Miller,  T.  E.  Arrowsmith, 
and  W.  E.  Jenkinson;  J.  F.  Scott  was  town  clerk;  H.  U. 
Kinder,  chief  of  police,  and  T.  E.  Frierson,  night  police¬ 
man.  L.  R.  McIntosh  was  chief  of  the  Fire  Department. 
The  town  had  a  simple  brick  building  wherein  iron  cells 
were  arranged  for  the  safe  keeping  of  violators  of  the  law, 
but  the  doors  of  this  jail  were  rarely  ever  shut  except  for 
the  purpose  of  keeping  dogs  from  sleeping  on  the  cots 
therein. 

There  were  three  men  about  Kingstree  within  the  past 
half  century  who  were  institutions  in  themselves — who 
knew  Williamsburg  past  and  present,  and  who  contrib¬ 
uted  much  in  their  day  and  generation  to  the  amusement 


526 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  entertainement  of  the  people.  Dr.  Samuel  McGill  was 
the  first  of  these.  His  “Reminiscences  of  Williamsburg” 
was  published  and  will  remain  forever  a  moving  picture 
of  the  County  from  1820  to  1900.  With  glowing  humor, 
Dr.  McGill  kept  Williamsburg  laughing  for  half  a  century, 
and  his  book  preserves  much  of  him  and  his  pleasing  per¬ 
sonality.  Probablv,  no  man  who  ever  lived  in  Williams- 
burg  had  a  clearer  view  of  the  War  between  the  Sections 
than  he,  nor  did  any  one  more  than  he  help  heal  the 
wounds  the  War  had  made. 

George  S.  Barr  was  a  merchant  and  hotel  keeper  in 
Kingstree  for  many  years.  No  man  ever  added  more  to 
the  “gayety”  of  the  town  than  he.  As  “mine  host”  his 
equal  has  never  appeared  in  these  parts.  Every  day  for  a 
score  of  years  the  people  of  Kingstree  repeated  what 
George  Barr  had  said  the  previous  night,  and  every  night 
they  gathered  in  his  hotel  lobby  to  hear  him  recount  the 
things  that  had  happened  during  that  day.  No  lesser  man 
than  Charles  Dickens  is  worthy  to  describe  George  Barr, 
and  “here’s  hoping”  that  an  understanding  Dickens  may 
give  him  to  coming  generations. 

John  James  Brockinton  Montgomery,  alias  “Daddy,” 
has  held  continuous  levees  on  the  shady  court  house  green 
for  more  than  thirty  years.  Sheriff  G.  J.  Graham  listened 
to  “Daddy’s”  tales  every  day  for  the  twenty  years  he  was 
sheriff,  and  now  when  this  venerable  citizen  comes  to 
Kingstree  he  has  not  spent  a  “perfect  day”  until  “Daddy” 
has  entertained  him  with  a  story.  Mr.  Montgomery  has 
been  auditor  of  Williamsburg  since  1900,  and  few  politi¬ 
cians  even  years  ago  had  the  hardihood  to  attempt  to 
disturb  his  place.  For  many  years,  nobody  has  offered  as 
a  candidiate  against  him.  Mr.  Montgomery  knows  tax¬ 
ation  as  applied  to  Wiliamsbnrg  and  his  office  has  always 
been  kept  along  model  lines.  He  knows  the  “previous 
condition  of  servitude”  of  every  white  man  in  Wiliamsbnrg 
and  every  man  likes  to  hear  him  tell  stories  about  every 


MANY  THINGS 


527 


other  man.  He  is  dean  of  the  Court  House  contingent 
and  no  man  questions  his  kindly  rule. 

ximong  the  physicians  who  have  lived  in  Williamsburg 
during  the  period  from  the  War  between  the  Sections 
until  the  present  time  may  be  mentioned:  W.  S.  Boyd, 
Sr.,  T.  S.  Hemingway,  John  F.  Brockinton,  James  S. 
Brockinton,  W.  L.  Wallace,  James  Staggers,  R.  F.  Maurice, 
Samuel  McGill,  Robert  Henry,  James  Bradley,  J.  A. 
James,  W.  D.  Rich,  S.  D.  M.  Byrd,  J.  W.  Graham, 
Richard  Fulmore,  A.  H.  Williams,  Henry  DuBose, 
D.  C.  Scott,  Robert  Gourdin,  J.  F.  Pressley,  Van  Epps,  W. 
G.  Gamble,  J.  M.  Burgess,  W.  V.  Brockinton,  R.  J.  Fulton, 
C.  D.  Jacobs,  T.  M.  Mouzon,  T.  S.  Hemingway,  J.  M. 
Mason,  W.  S.  Boyd,  William  S.  Boyd,  Isaac  Boyd,  W.  L. 
Sellers,  W.  S.  Lynch,  J.  F.  Register,  B.  M.  Montgomery, 
W.  H.  Woods,  E.  O.  Taylor,  E.  T.  Kelley,  Maurice  Scott, 
Walter  H.  Harper,  O.  F.  Hagan,  A.  M.  Willcox,  T.  Cuy- 
ler  Harper,  J.  D.  Eaddy,  H.  O.  Byrd,  R.  W.  Sease,  W. 
L.  Whitehead,  W.  C.  Rogers,  John  Rhett  Brockinton,  R. 
L.  Cockfield,  T.  B.  Harper,  W.  M.  O’Bryan,  Charles  H. 
Pate,  W.  J.  Haselden,  J.  F.  Haselden,  J.  C.  Moore,  W. 
C.  Hemingway,  P.  S.  Thomas,  A.  G.  Eaddy,  John  W. 
Staggers,  S.  B.  W.  Courtney,  J.  H.  Pratt,  H.  L.  Baker, 
L.  B.  Johnson,  C.  D.  Rollins,  John  Boyd,  and  Carl  Epps. 

Among  the  dentists  may  be  mentioned  M.  D.  Nesmith, 
C,  D.  Haddon,  R.  C.  McCabe,  R.  J.  McCabe,  Jack  McCul¬ 
lough,  J.  A.  Cole,  D.  Z.  Rowell,  Frank  O.  Lentz,  and  A.  M. 
Snider. 

Among  the  lawyers  natives  of  the  County  or  who  prac¬ 
ticed  here:  S.  W.  Maurice,  George  P.  Logan,  E.  J.  Por¬ 
ter,  Paul  A.  Cooper,  E.  H.  Williams,  E.  G.  Chandler, 
J.  S.  Wilson,  John  O.  Willson,  Texas  Logan,  John  Hughes 
Cooper,  Barron  Greer,  R.  J.  Kirk,  H.  J.  Haynesworth, 
T.  M.  Gilland,  John  A.  Kelley,  LeRoy  Lee,  A.  C.  Hinds, 
J.  Capers  James,  M.  A.  Shuler,  L.  W.  Gilland,  J.  Z.  Mc¬ 
Connell,  J.  D.  O’Bryan,  Philip  H.  Stoll,  M.  J.  Hirsch, 


528 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


E.  L.  Hirsch,  F.  R.  Hemingway,  W.  W.  Boddie,  John 
Barron,  B.  P.  Barron,  R.  K.  Wallace,  F.  W.  Fairey,  C. 
E.  St.  Amand,  W.  O.  Godwin,  P.  N.  Becton,  Junius  Mc¬ 
Intosh,  Robert  Pierson,  E.  L.  Ard,  C.  W.  Stoll,  Hoxie 
G.  Askins,  J.  D.  Gilland,  W.  Furman  Dargan,  R.  D.  Epps, 
Timothy  Dargan,  W.  L.  Bass,  John  G.  Pressley,  D.  A. 
Brockinton,  and  Heyward  Brockinton.  Colonel  John 
G.  Pressley  migrated  to  California  in  1869  and  there  be- 
came  a  distinguished  jurist.  Judge  John  S.  Wilson  moved 
to  Manning  as  a  young  man.  For  more  than  twenty  years, 
he  has  been  a  distinguished  circuit  judge. 

Dr.  John  O.  Wilson  became  a  powerful  minister 
in  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  South,  and  was  one  of 
the  three  who  determined  the  legal  polity  of  the  Metho¬ 
dist  Church  in  the  Southern  States.  He  died  in  1923 
while  President  of  Lander  College. 

During  the  late  seventies,  Major  C.  S.  Land  worked 
the  Southern  portion  of  the  County  for  naval  stores  prod¬ 
ucts.  He  built  a  tramway  for  transporting  logs  from 
Lane  to  the  western  boundary  of  the  County.  In  1880,  he 
sold  this  right  of  way  to  the  Atlantic  Coast  Line  Railway 
and  immediately  a  standard  gauge  railroad  was  built 
from  Lane  westward  through  the  County  on  to  Sumter. 
In  1881,  the  first  trains  were  put  in  operation  on  this 
railway.  This  railroad  played  a  considerable  part  in 
the  development  of  this  Santee  section.  Along  this  rail¬ 
way  was  a  section  of  country  known  as  “Clocktown”  for 
many  years.  It  was  told  that  soon  after  the  War  some 
agents  selling  seven-day  clocks  of  considerable  propor¬ 
tions  and  telling  everything  from  one’s  “fortune”  to  the 
second  of  time  went  through  this  country  and  sold  these 
clocks  to  all  the  inhabitants  thereof.  Some  of  these  inhab¬ 
itants,  the  story  goes,  lived  in  dwellings  that  could  not 
contain  these  clocks  so  that  some  of  the  clocks  were  fas¬ 
tened  to  large  pine  trees  nearby  these  dwellings.  Nobody 
ever  lived  in  “Clocktown,”  but  it  was  well  known  in  the 
County. 


MANY  THINGS 


529 


About  1870,  S.  J.  Taylor  and  S.  J.  Hutson  had  the 
town  of  Greelyille  incorporated  and  S.  J.  Taylor  was 
elected  the  first  intendant.  It  was  then  depending  largely 
on  the  turpentine  industry.  Later  it  developed  into  a 
flourishing  town.  The  first  postmaster  of  Greelyville 
was  Wade  S.  Varner;  second,  W.  H.  Campbell;  third, 
H.  D.  Oliver.  In  1899  Fred  Mishoe  became  postmaster 
and  still  holds  the  office.  Among  those  who  have  served 
as  station  agents  at  Greelyville  have  been  Wade  S.  Varner, 
W.  H.  Campbell,  Frank  Welch,  and  David  Sasser,  Fred 
Mishoe,  W.  H.  Hodges,  T.  S.  Brunson,  and  W.  D.  Mat¬ 
thews.  The  first  Masonic  Lodge  at  Greelyville  had  as  its 
officers:  B.  E.  Clarkson,  Worshipful  Master;  C.  E.  Hil¬ 
ton,  Senior  Warden;  and  D.  A.  Johnson,  Junior  Warden. 
The  first  drainage  district  for  the  purpose  of  reclaiming 
swamp  lands  in  Williamsburg  County  was  established  in 
the  Greelyville  section.  Its  principal  promoters  were  T. 
W.  Boyle  and  E.  B.  Bliodus.  About  twenty  thousand 
acres  of  excellent  farming  lands  have  been  added  by  the 
efforts  of  this  project.  The  Mallard  Lumber  Company 
has  been  of  much  service  in  the  development  of  this  Greely¬ 
ville  District. 

H.  J.  Brown,  more  than  four  score  years  old,  Coroner 

of  Williamsburg  County,  Commander  of  John  G.  Pressley 

Camp  of  Confederate  veterans,  Deacon  in  the  Baptist 

Church,  and  for  many  years  Superintendent  of  the  Baptist 

Sunday  School  at  Cades,  has  lived  through  more  than  the 

allotted  time  of  man  in  the  Cades  section  and  knows  its 

history.  When  asked  about  Cades,  he  replied,  “I  was  ten 

vears  old  when  I  came  to  Cades  in  1852.  It  was  then 
«/ 

known  as  Camp  Ridge  and  C.  W.  Cade  was  postmaster. 
He  kept  the  office  at  his  home  where  H.  L.  Poston  now 
lives.  He  had  three  boys  about  grown  and  they  carried 
the  mail  on  horseback  to  Santee  Postoffice  and  to  Darling¬ 
ton  once  every  week.  General  Marion  had  a  recupera¬ 
tion  camp  during  the  Revolution  in  the  field  on  the  op- 


530 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


posite  side  of  the  road  from  where  Larry  Poston  has  re¬ 
cently  settled.  This  place  was  called  Camp  Ridge  from 
this  fact.  About  the  time  my  father  moved  to  Cades, 
several  other  families  came  and  joined  with  the  other 
residents  and  built  a  school  house  near  where  M.  Clark 
now  lives.  The  patrons  of  this  school  were :  on  the  north, 
Littleton  Dennis,  R.  B.  Green,  Levi  Brown,  and  Patrick 
Parker;  on  the  east,  C.  A.  Cade,  John  F.  Graham,  and 
Brown  Graham  ;  on  the  south,  John  Frierson  and  James 
E.  Fulton;  on  the  west,  Martin  S.  Feagan  and  Benjamin 
Baker.  Some  of  these  men  lived  four  miles  from  the  lit¬ 
tle  log  school.  The  first  teacher  was  named  Palmer  and 
boarded  at  Mr.  Cades.  The  next  teacher  was  Mr.  Andrew 
Cade,  and  then  came  J.  A.  Feagan.  These  men  taught  three 
months  in  the  year.  In  1856,  the  Northeastern  railway 
came  through  Cades,  but  it  did  not  establish  a  depot  for 
many  years.  Several  turpentine  stills  were  in  operation, 
however.  The  first  section  boss  on  this  railroad  was  named 
Pettit.  He  was  killed  by  a  train  before  his  year  was  up. 
Charles  DuBose  was  the  next  postmaster.  He  was  suc¬ 
ceeded  by  J.  N.  Sauls  in  1883.  E.  H.  Sauls  became  post¬ 
master  in  1887  and  it  was  at  this  time  that  the  name  of 
the  postoffice  was  changed  from  Camp  Ridge  to  Cades. 
The  railway  then  built  a  station  house  at  this  point  and 
several  stores  were  in  operation.  T.  P.  Fulmore  became 
postmaster  in  1907.  He  was  succeeded  by  V.  G.  Arnette 
in  1913.  L.  G.  Brock  succeeded  him  and  then  came  R. 
E.  Tart,  who  was  succeeded  by  W.  J.  Smiley,  incumbent. 
There  is  a  handsome  graded  school  building,  two  churches, 
five  stores,  two  meat  markets,  and  a  bank  at  Cades,  which 
is  in  the  midst  of  a  good  farming  community.  Its  citizens 
are  law  abiding  and  prosperous.” 

Captain  John  A.  Salters  owned  the  plantation  on  which 
Salters  depot  was  established  and  for  him  the  town  of 
Salters  was  named.  Prior  to  the  Civil  War,  mail  was 
brought  on  horseback  from  Kingstree  to  William  Lifrage’s 


MANY  THINGS 


531 


place  just  south  of  Black  Riyer  where  S.  P.  Britton  now 
lives  and  the  postoffice  was  called  Black  River.  Theodore 
M.  Lifrage  was  postmaster.  During  the  War,  this  post- 
office  was  discontinued.  About  1870,  Maxmilian  Jacobs 
had  a  postoffice  established  about  two  miles  south  of  Sal¬ 
ters  depot.  It  was  called  Dixie.  This  postoffice  was  in 
existence  about  one  year.  In  1873  a  postoffice  was  estab¬ 
lished  at  Salters  depot.  Mrs.  M.  J.  Rawlinski  was  post¬ 
mistress  until  1877  when  Dr.  R.  F.  Maurice  succeeded  her. 
He  was  postmaster  until  February  5,  1879,  when  J.  G. 
Lifrage,  incumbent,  took  charge.  He  has  held  this  office 
continuously  for  more  than  forty-four  years. 

In  1883  W.  D.  Bryan,  W.  R.  Bryan,  and  James  Bryan 
lived  on  the  railway  in  the  sutheastern  part  of  the 
County.  They  established  a  postoffice  with  James  Bryan 
as  postmaster  and  called  it  Trio.  Helen  M.  Hinnant  was 
incumbent  in  1923. 

In  1881,  James  Fowler  Cooper  had  Fowler  postoffice 
created  and  was  postmaster  until  his  death  in  1914,  when 
his  brother,  Hugh  M.  Cooper,  incumbent,  succeeded  him. 
Cooper  Brothers,  merchants  and  planters,  have  their 
headquarters  at  Fowler. 

Nesmith  postoffice  was  established  October  1,  1907,  with 
R.  J.  Nesmith  as  Postmaster.  B.  L.  Nesmith  succeeded 
him  December  31,  1912.  This  place  was  given  its  name 
from  the  old  family  so  numerous  in  that  vicinity. 

Henry  postoffice  was  named  by  J.  J.  Snow,  a  prominent 
scion  of  distinguished  family  in  those  parts.  W.  T. 
Turbeville  became  postmaster  when  the  office  was  created 
in  1913  and  is  the  present  holder. 

C.  J.  Rollins  was  the  first  postmaster  at  Lamberts. 
This  post  office  was  established  about  1900.  In  1913, 
Lamberts  was  changed  in  name  to  Hemingway,  in  honor 
of  W.  C.  Hemingway,  father  of  Dr.  W.  C.  Hemingway, 
who  was  accidently  killed  by  an  explosion  in  his  labora¬ 
tory  in  1921.  Hemingway  has  grown  into  a  considerable 


532 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


town  within  the  past  decade.  The  Masonic  Lodge  at  Hem¬ 
ingway  was  formed  at  Indiantown  in  1872,  with  John 
Frierson,  Worshipful  Master,  H.  L.  Hanna,  Senior  War¬ 
den,  and  D.  L.  Keith,  Junior  Warden.  Its  headquarters 
were  changed  to  Hemingway  about  ten  years  ago,  but  it  is 
still  known  as  the  Indiantown  Lodge,  No.  165.  Its  present 
officers  are:  Z.  H.  McDaniel,  Worshipful  Master,  R.  A. 
Hughes,  Senior  Warden,  D.  H.  Oliver,  Junior  Warden, 
and  W.  F.  Hanna,  secretary. 

For  a  long  time,  young  women  have  been  coming  into 
Williamsburg  as  school  teachers  every  year.  Many  of 
the  best  of  them  have  married  Williamsburg  men,  and 
almost  without  exception,  they  have  proved  valuable  in 
home,  church,  and  general  community  service.  Possibly  no 
one  influence  working  in  Williamsburg  has  been  more 
wholesome  and  elevating  than  these  educated  women 
brought  from  other  districts.  Among  them  may  be  named 
Mesdames  M.  F.  Heller,  J.  J.  B.  Montgomery,  LeRoy  Lee, 
W.  Y.  Brockinton,  P.  O.  Arrowsmith,  R.  K.  Wallace,  T. 
S.  Hemingway,  John  S.  Fulton,  L.  F.  Rhem,  J.  Y.  McGill, 
D.  E.  Evans,  Hugh  M.  Cooper,  Stuart  Cunningham,  John 
Cunningham,  John  Foxworth,  J.  B.  Allsbrook,  S.  W. 
Mimms,  Dodd  Daniel,  W.  W.  Holliday,  J.  H.  Epps,  Rob¬ 
ert  Montgomery,  G.  A.  McElveen,  D.  M.  Ervin,  L.  S.  Den¬ 
nis,  W.  S.  Boyd,  Wilbur  Eaddy,  and  Lawrence  Swails. 

To  all  outward  appearances,  Williamsburg  in  1923  was 
almost  perfectly  Puritan.  More  than  ninety-nine  per 
centum  of  all  the  social  gatherings  in  the  County  were 
under  the  auspices  of  church  or  patriotic  organizations. 
Churches  had  many  societies  and  the  frequent  meetings 
of  these  absorbed  most  of  the  “herding”  energies  of  the 
people.  Christian  Endeavors,  Epworth  Leagues,  and 
Young  Peoples  Unions  almost  circumscribed  the  so¬ 
cial  activities  of  the  younger  element;  while  Missionary 
Societies,  Ladies’  Aid  Societies,  and  the  like,  almost  en¬ 
compassed  the  field  for  the  matrons.  The  men  of  the 


MANY  THINGS 


533 


County  had  no  social  gatherings,  except  about  once  every 
year  one  of  the  very  few  fraternal  lodges  of  the  County 
usually  gave  a  “Pine  Bark  Stew.”  A  notable  exception 
to  the  general  social  inactivity  among  the  men  was  the 
“Pine  Bark  Stew”  D.  J.  E'pps  usually  gave  about  a  hun¬ 
dred  of  his  friends  every  May  Day.  Mr.  Epps  cooked  and 
served  Black  Kiver  bream  fit  for  a  gathering  of  the  gods. 
The  taste  of  his  stew  always  lingered  in  a  man  and  lured 
him  to  return  to  the  King’s  Tree  on  the  Wee  Nee.  It 
has  been  customary  in  Wiliamsburg  for  more  than  a  cen¬ 
tury  for  every  minister  to  preach  two  or  three  sulphuric 
discourses  every  year  on  the  subject  of  “worldly  amuse¬ 
ments,”  this  term  being  applied  to  almost  every  social 
activity  not  under  the  patronage  of  denominational,  pat¬ 
riotic,  or  fraternal  organizations.  It  has  not  been  pos¬ 
sible  for  many  years  for  the  young  people  of  the  County 
to  maintain  a  dancing  club,  or  a  card  club;  and  almost 
any  individual  who  encourages  his  children  to  participate 
in  such  entertainment  as  dancing  or  card  playing  is 
openly  denounced  as  an  advocate  of  the  Devil.  Partici¬ 
pating  in  a  game  of  golf  or  of  tennis  on  Sunday  would 
probably  result  in  a  social  and  commercial  boycott  in 
Williamsburg. 


CHAPTER  XL. 


GENERAL  PROGRESS. 

There  were  very  few  men  that,  prior  to  the  emancipation, 
had  depended  upon  slave  labor  who  emerged  from  the 
reconstruction  period  with  any  material  thing  of  econo¬ 
mic  importance  except  land,  and  land  then  had  but  a 
nominal  commercial  value.  W.  B.  McCollough  says  his 
father  often  told  him  that  if  a  new  comer  desired  very 
much  to  buy  a  tract  of  land,  he  might  be  induced  to  pay 
fifteen  cents  per  acre ;  if  the  land  owner  were  hard  pressed 
for  money,  he  would  probably  sell  for  ten  cents  per  acre; 
but  that  where  the  land  owner  was  neither  practically 
forced  to  sell  nor  the  purchaser  over  zealous  to  buy,  the 
price  was  usually  about  twelve  and  one-half  cents  per  acre. 

A  considerable  portion  of  the  present  county  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  was  swamp  land  until  about  1900.  When  the 
pioneers  settled  here  about  1730,  it  seems  that  nearly 
every  one  of  them  built  his  home  within  a  stone’s  throw 
of  a  swamp  and  he  buried  his  dead  overlooking  water. 
Hundreds  of  earth  mounds  showing  the  locations  of  the 
original  adobe  houses  and  the  deeply  ditched  graveyards 
prove  these  statements.  Neolithic  peoples  known  as 
kitchen-middens  of  about  ten  thousand  years  before  Christ 
lived  on  the  lowlands  of  Scotland,  from  whence  came  these 
original  settlers  in  Williamsburg.  Was  it  a  race  instinct 
that  placed  these  pioneer  homes  in  Williamsburg  over¬ 
looking  swamps? 

In  the  beginning,  the  mosquitoes  that  infested  these 
sluggish  waters  seems  to  have  been  more  annoying  than 
harmful.  Later,  these  little  insects  became  infected  by 
all  kinds  of  fever  producing  germs  and  threatened  the  life 
of  the  swamp  dwellers.  It  became  necessary  that  every 
white  family  move  out  of  the  infested  area  during  the 
mosquito  months,  and  this  proved  a  serious  economic 


GENERAL  PROGRESS 


535 


factor.  Some  of  the  wealthier  men  sent  their  families  to 
the  mountains  every  summer;  others,  unable  to  do  this, 
built  summer  homes  as  far  as  possible  away  from  the 
swamps.  Later,  everybody  in  Williamsburg  began  resid¬ 
ing  permanently,  winter  and  summer,  on  the  highlands 
rather  than  in  the  low  lands.  One  hundred  years  ago,  a 
man  might  have  travelled  across  Williamsburg  without 
having  seen  a  residence  from  the  public  roads :  now  the 
homes  are  nearly  all  located  on  the  highways. 

Some  planters  before  the  War  between  the  Sections 
undertook  to  drain  their  swamp  lands,  but  these  were  very 
few  in  number.  There  was  so  much  land  available  that 
nearly  everybody  elected  to  plant  small  patches  here  and 
there  where  water  would  not  interfere. 

These  high  lands  planted  produced  but  little  per  acre 
unless  fertilized,  and  from  the  War  until  about  1900  not 
very  many  farmers  in  the  County  had  been  able  to  pur¬ 
chase  the  necessary  commercial  fertilizer.  At  first,  Peru¬ 
vian  guano  was  used  by  planters.  The  cost  of  this  was 
almost  prohibitive;  and  besides,  some  wiseacres  thought 
that  this  mixture  actually  destroyed  the  vitalizing  el¬ 
ements  in  the  soil.  Later,  commercial  fertilizers  grad¬ 
ually  grew  into  use  and  the  production  of  cotton  increased. 
The  soil  of  Williamsburg  responds  promptly  and  effec¬ 
tively  to  the  intelligent  use  of  chemical  fertilizers. 

Comparatively  little  land  had  been  cleared  for  culti¬ 
vation  up  to  1900.  It  was  about  that  time  that  nearly 
everybody  began  to  realize  that  the  swamp  lands  were 
much  more  fertile  than  the  sand  hills,  and  the  drainage 
of  the  lowlands  became  a  serious  undertaking.  Draining 
the  swamps  helped  in  the  conquest  of  the  mosquito  as  well 
as  added  greatly  to  the  productiveness  of  the  section. 
It  was  about  1890  when  the  first  artesian  well  in  the  pres¬ 
ent  limits  of  Williamsburg  was  bored  at  Hebron  Metho¬ 
dist  Church.  This  well  has  been  flowing  continuously 
since  that  time.  It  was  soon  found  that  pure  artesian 


536 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


water  could  be  secured  all  over  the  County  at  depths  from 

fifty  to  five  hundred  feet,  and  wells  were  located  in  all  the 

towns,  at  most  of  the  churches,  and  on  many  plantations 

within  a  decade.  Theretofore  surface  drinking  water 

had  always  been  a  menace  to  the  health  of  the  section. 

«/ 

With  an  abundance  of  pure  and  delightful  artesian 
water  all  oyer  the  country,  with  the  mosquito  relegated  to 
stagnant  fens  and  moors  far  away  from  habitation,  the 
health  conditions  rapidly  improved  and  creative  energy  and 
productive  ambition  resulted  in  progression.  Better  lands 
planted  produced  more  abundant  harvests.  About  1900, 
considerable  visible  material  manifestation  of  economic 
development  was  evident. 

About  the  only  people  in  Williamsburg  who  accumu¬ 
lated  any  property  between  1866  and  1876  were  those  who 
worked  in  the  turpentine  business.  These  men  depended 
most  largely  on  white  labor.  Nearly  all  of  them  had  mi- 
grated  into  Williamsburg  a  few  years  before  the  beginning 
of  the  War  between  the  States.  Among  these  dealers  in 
naval  stores  and  pine  products  who  made  fortunes  may 
be  mentioned  Captain  J.  F.  Carraway,  J.  R.  Lambson, 
R.  H.  Kimball,  Edwin  Harper,  James  Harper,  R.  H.  Kel- 
lahan,  Major  C.  S.  Land,  J.  H.  Pittman,  and  Dr.  John 
F.  Brockinton.  Dr.  Brockinton  was  the  onlv  man  named 
in  this  list  who  was  a  native  of  Williamsburg. 

As  a  rule  during  this  time  from  1876  to  1900,  the  mas¬ 
ters  of  plantations  were  losing  them  little  by  little  as 
necessity  forced  them  from  time  to  time  to  convey  to 
others  their  inheritances.  As  late  as  1905,  Charles  W. 
Wolfe  said,  “Negro  labor  is  yet  worse  than  nothing.”  It 
did  not  produce  so  much  as  it  utilized.  The  whites  began 
the  period  laboring  under  the  delusion  that  manual 
labor  degraded,  and  it  was  exceedingly  difficult  for  them 
to  realize  that  a  gentleman  might  work  with  his  hands. 
Many  years  passed  before  either  the  negro  or  the  white 
man  could  reasonably  adjust  himself  to  the  changed  con- 


GENERAL  PROGRESS 


537 


ditions.  This  was  the  most  trying  era  in  the  history  of 
Williamsburg. 

Cotton  was  practically  the  only  thing  produced  for 
market  during  this  period.  It  was  grown  in  ever  increas¬ 
ing  quantities,  but  the  price  received  had  gradually 
diminished  from  one  dollar  per  pound  just  after  the  War 
to  four  cents  per  pound  in  1897.  All  this  time  it  must 
have  seemed  to  the  "indwellers  in  Williamsburg”  that 
the  gods  had  determined  to  enslave  them  forever.  Plant¬ 
ers  had  accounts  with  the  merchants  in  Charleston  and 
these  accounts  usually  absorbed  all  the  proceeds  from  the 
sale  of  their  cotton  every  November.  The  planters  of  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  by  this  system  of  marketing  almost  surrendered 
their  independence  to  cotton  factors  and  merchants  in  the 
City  of  Charleston.  These  cotton  factors  and  merchants 
determined  the  price  they  charged  for  supplies  and  also 
the  price  they  paid  the  planters  for  their  cotton.  Actual 
results  from  the  negro  labor  and  this  system  of  market¬ 
ing  show  that  the  cotton  planter  in  Williamsburg  was 
between  two  mercilessly  grinding  millstones;  that  he,  out 
of  the  substance  which  his  ancestors  had  accumulated 
prior  to  the  War  and  what  his  own  energy  could  produce, 
fed  and  clothed  freed  negroes  for  a  generation,  as 
well  as  enriched  cotton  manipulators  who  kept  him  bound 
in  economic  chains. 

Soon  after  the  War  between  the  Sections,  the  News  and 
Courier,  Charleston,  undertook  to  promote  the  cultivation 
of  tobacco  in  the  State.  Among  other  things,  it  offered  a 
prize  of  considerable  value  for  the  best  specimen  of  to¬ 
bacco  grown  in  South  Carolina.  A  great  many  men  in 
various  parts  undertook  to  win  this  prize.  It  was  awarded 
to  Dr.  Robert  E.  Maurice  for  his  exhibit  produced  on  his 
plantation  in  what  is  now  the  McCollough  community, 
south  of  Black  River,  in  Williamsburg. 

Although  it  was  known  that  the  soil  and  climate  of 
Williamsburg  were  peculiarly  adapted  to  the  cultivation 


538 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  production  of  tobacco,  it  was  thirty  years  later  before 
it  was  undertaken.  Sheriff  J.  E.  Brockinton  was  the  first 
man  in  the  County  to  grow  the  “golden  weed”  for  market. 
Tliis  was  about  1900.  In  many  wavs  Sheriff  Brockinton 

t J  C' 

was  a  valuable  man  in  Williamsburg.  His  experiments 
growing  early  vegetables  for  market  brought  much  light 
along  this  line  and  were  instrumental  in  promoting  the 
valuable  trucking  industry  in  the  County. 

It  was  not  long  after  Mr.  Brockinton  made  some  pleas¬ 
ing  sales  of  tobacco  before  men  in  every  section  of  the 
County  began  to  grow  it,  and  almost  at  once  it  became  a 
considerable  economic  factor.  Among  the  first  tobacco 
planters  of  this  time  in  Williamsburg,  may  be  mentioned : 
J.  E.  Brown,  J.  Y.  Me  Gill,  Percy  Snowden,  B.  N.  Stuckey, 
J.  B.  Player,  Solon  Nesmith,  J.  B.  Gamble,  J.  B.  Talle- 
vast,  F.  Rhem,  and  sons,  J.  C.  Graham,  R.  D.  Gamble, 
W.  E.  Lesesne,  J.  L.  Lesesne,  J.  J.  Bradham,  W.  O.  Camlin, 
R.  W.  Smith,  J.  L.  Thomas,  W.  J.  Smiley,  B.  E.  McKnight, 
William  P.  McKnight,  J.  S.  Evans,  and  D.  I.  Burgess. 

For  the  first  few  years  Williamsburg  tobacco  planters 
marketed  their  crops  in  Florence  and  Lake  City.  In  1909, 
W.  K.  McIntosh  and  D.  J.  Epps  each  operated  a  tobacco 
sales  warehouse  on  what  is  now,  1923,  the  Williamsburg 
County  Fair  Association  grounds.  In  that  season,  one  and 
three-fourths  million  pounds  of  tobacco  were  sold  in  these 
two  warehouses.  The  building  now  used  bv  the  Fair  Associ- 
ation  for  exhibits  was  one  of  these  two  sales  warehouses. 
The  other  building  was  removed  to  the  corner  of  Hampton 
and  Mill  Streets  in  Kingstree,  where  it  was  used  as  a 
sales  warehouse  until  the  brick  Central  Warehouse  now 
standing  replaced  it. 

In  1918,  Williamsburg  County  produced  eleven  million 
pounds  of  tobacco  and  sold  it  for  the  average  price  of 
$33.20  per  hundred.  This  crop  of  tobacco  was  all  placed 
on  the  market  during  the  month  of  August  and  the  first 
week  in  September  of  that  year  and  brought  $3,652,000.00 


GENERAL  PROGRESS 


539 


into  the  County  during  that  short  time.  There  were  four 
warehouses  selling  in  Kingstree  that  year  and  several 
others  in  the  smaller  towns  in  the  Countv.  During  that 
five  weeks  in  1918,  Nelson’s  Warehouse  in  Kingstree  paid 
out  to  farmers  for  their  tobacco  $989,752.52.  This  was, 
however,  the  largest  sales  warehouse  in  the  County.  It 
was  owned  and  operated  by  W.  K.  McIntosh,  E.  J.  Hester, 
E.  C.  Burgess,  and  L.  F.  Rhem.  There  were  sold  in  1918 
in  Kingstree  during  that  memorable  five  weeks  seven  and 
one-half  million  pounds  of  tobacco. 

Williamsburg  produced  that  year  an  enormous  cotton 
crop  and  it  sold  for  about  forty  cents  a  pound.  Those 
old  men  in  Williamsburg  who  had  been  conscientious,  con¬ 
sistent,  continuous  apostles  of  gloom  for  three  or  four 
score  of  years  rubbed  their  eyes  on  Christmas  morning  and 
some  of  them  actually  admitted  that  Williamsburg  was 
the  promised  land.  That  year  and  the  next  Williamsburg 
had  an  abundance  of  everything. 

The  census  of  Williamsburg  County,  1920,  shows  its 
total  population  as  38,539,  male  19,029,  female,  19,510. 
There  were  only  thirty-eight  persons  of  foreign  birth  in 
the  County,  less  than  one-tenth  of  one  per  centum.  There 
were  13,046  whites  and  25,452  negroes,  one  Indian,  and 
two  Chinese.  In  1920,  the  percentage  of  white  population 
was  33.9 ;  negroes  66 ;  foreign  born  less  than  .1.  In  1910,  the 
percentage  of  white  population  was  38.2  ;  the  negro,  61.7. 
In  1920,  there  were  3006  white  males  and  4775  colored 
males  over  twenty-one  years  of  age  in  the  County.  There 
were  7,232  dwelling  houses  in  which  there  lived  7,318  farm 
ilies.  The  census  valuation  of  all  1919  crops  was 
$12,529,167.00;  cereals,  $2,035,529;  seeds,  $30,137;  hay  and 
forage,  $288,410;  vegetables,  $283,030;  fruits  and  nuts, 
$11,112;  all  other  crops,  $9,880,949.  There  were  992,260 
bushels  of  corn,  37,102  bushels  of  oats,  2,159  bushels  of 
wheat,  168  bushels  of  rice,  7,173  bushels  of  peas,  11,707,464 
pounds  of  tobacco,  28,511  bales  of  cotton,  23,302  gallons 


540 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


of  syrup,  38,137  pounds  of  grapes,  1,706  pounds  of  figs, 
4,876  pounds  of  pecans  produced  and  harvested. 

For  more  than  a  century  Williamsburg  has  lived  and 
moved  and  had  its  being  in  cotton.  The  cotton  crop  has 
been  for  this  period  of  time  the  barometer  for  Williams¬ 
burg.  The  tobacco  money  that  flooded  the  County  in  1918 
was  regarded  as  “pin  money”  and  was  used  in  riotous 
living.  Men  bought  high  powered  automobiles  and  gold 
bound  talking  machines.  Women  spent  their  part  for 
jewel  studded  slipper  heels,  parlez-vous  petticoats,  and 
Poiret  gowns.  There  were,  however,  some  few  men  in  the 
County  who  took  advantage  of  these  money  floods  and 
saved.  This  County  is  fundamentally  a  mixture  of  Scotch- 
Irish  and  French  Huguenots  and  both  of  these  races  have 
alwavs  realized  that  hard  times  will  come. 

Following  closely  on  this  period  of  unparalleled  pros¬ 
perity  in  material  things,  there  came  “Deflation,”  two  long 
rainy  seasons  and  the  boll  weevil.  Any  one  of  these  three 
might  have  brought  financial  gloom  to  Williamsburg,  but 
concurrent  as  thev  were  and  concomitant  as  thev  seemed, 
they  produced  a  condition  in  Williamsburg  about  which 
the  most  presistent  pessimist  could  not  complain.  The 
moneyed  men  of  Williamsburg  declared  that  they  had 
passed  through  panics  and  however  much  they  had  suf¬ 
fered  from  them  thev  would  ever  thereafter  welcome  a 
panic  in  preference  to  “Deflation.”  It  rained  almost  every 
day  during  July  and  August  1920  and  1921  and  these  exces¬ 
sive  rains  gradually  injured  the  tobacco  crops  and  created 
just  the  climatic  condition  most  favorable  to  the  ravaging 
boll  weevil.  For  many  years  cotton  planters  in  Williams¬ 
burg  had  read  accounts  of  the  fearful  destruction  wrought 
by  this  little  pest  that  had  crossed  the  Rio  Grande  River 
from  Mexico  into  Texas  and  had  been  making  its  way 
northward  leaving  cotton  famine  in  its  wake.  One  day 
early  in  July,  1921,  the  cotton  planters  realized  that  the 
boll  weevil  was  here.  There  was  dole  in  Astolat  and  well 


GENERAL  PROGRESS 


541 


there  may  have  been.  In  1920,  Williamsburg  produced 
thirty-seven  thousand  bales  of  cotton.  In  1921,  it  pro¬ 
duced  two  thousand  seven  hundred.  Besides  all  this, 
the  tobacco  produced  was  very  light  in  weight  and  its 
price  was  less  than  eight  cents  per  pound.  Pessimistic 
preachers  were  fulsome  on  dry  goods  boxes  in  Williams¬ 
burg.  “We  are  ruined”  and  “I  told  you  so”  could  be 
heard  from  morn  till  noon,  and  from  noon  till  dewv  eve, 
and  from  dewy  eve  until  far  into  the  night. 

“Blackberry  time”  had  been  for  ages  blissful  negro  days 
until  the  boll  weevil  came.  Some  joker  started  the  story 
that  somewhere  once  upon  a  time  a  mother  boll  weevil  laid 
some  eggs  in  some  blackberries,  which  blackberries  some 
negroes  ate,  and  those  negroes  immediately  died.  This 
story  was  heard  by  every  Williamsburg  negro  and  there¬ 
after  the  blackberry  season  became  a  period  of  mourning 
in  all  the  land.  Uncle  Solomon  Wilson  said,  “Boll  weebil 
bite  outen  de  cotton  boll — hit  die;  boll  weebil  bite  outen 
de  nigger — he  die.  Nigger,  let  dem  blackberries  Tone.” 

Negroes  and  superstitious  whites  believed  the  boll 
weevil  a  curse  of  God  and  were  exceedinglv  doubtful  about 
combating  the  pest.  Some  subtle  negro,  however,  suc¬ 
ceeded  in  satisfying  these  ignorant  ones  that  placing 
poison  for  destroying  the  insect,  under  orders  from  em¬ 
ployers,  absolved  them  from  the  evil  of  “gwine  ’ginst 
Gawd.”  It  is  remarkable  how  far  the  superstitious  element 
was  aroused  by  the  boll  weevil  all  over  South  Carolina.  The 
Governor  of  the  State,  by  proclamation,  set  apart  Sunday, 
June  10,  1923,  as  a  day  of  prayer  and  supplication  to  God 
to  stay  the  destroying  power  of  this  little  insect.  This 
day  was  so  observed  by  many  congregations  in  Williams¬ 
burg. 

It  will  be  remembered  that  in  the  darkest  days  of  the 
War  of  the  Revolution  in  Williamsburg  there  came  an 
hour  when  these  Scotch-Irish  gathered  together  in  little 
groups,  looked  seriously  into  each  others’  faces,  and  some 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


one  said  “something  must  be  done.”  After  the  price  of 
cotton  had  dropped  from  forty-two  cents  per  pound  in  1920 
to  nine  cents  in  1921  and  its  production  in  the  County 
had  fallen  more  than  ninety  per  centum  in  a  single  twelve- 
month,  and  the  tobacco  crop,  when  planted  they  expected  to 
produce  eight  hundred  pounds  an  acre  and  receive  thirty 
cents  per  pound,  actually  produced  four  hundred  pounds 
per  acre  which  they  sold  at  about  eight  cents  per  pound; 
these  same  Scotch-Irish  gathered  together  in  small  groups 
and  some  one  said,  “something  must  be  done.” 

In  the  fall  of  1921,  the  Williamsburg  County  Fair  Asso¬ 
ciation  offered  a  prize  for  the  best  display  of  various 
articles  produced  on  a  farm  in  the  County.  Young  Henry 
W.  Haselden,  of  Hemingway,  who  cultivated  the  Lieu¬ 
tenant  Haselden  farm  of  eighty  acres,  won  that  prize.  His 
exhibit  showed  the  following  articles  produced  on  that 
eighty  acres  that  year:  four  varieties  of  corn,  long  and 
short  staple  cotton,  oats,  rye,  sorghum,  peas,  wheat,  rib¬ 
bon  cane,  rice,  soy  and  velvet  and  soja  beans,  Irish  and 
sweet  potatoes,  tobacco,  watermelons,  cantaloupes,  squash, 
cucumbers,  pumpkins,  okra,  gourds,  hops,  hay,  fodder, 
pecans,  acorns,  hickory  nuts,  walnuts,  rutabagas,  peanuts, 
chufas,  mulberries,  egg  plants,  collards,  mustard,  hot  and 
sweet  peppers,  carrots,  radishes,  beets,  tigs,  onions,  lettuce, 
tomatoes,  lima  beans,  string  beans,  cabbage,  artichokes, 
sugar  corn,  pie  squash,  grapes,  grape  preserves  and  jelly, 
grape  acid,  canned  and  preserved  pears,  canned  and  pre¬ 
served  apples,  plum  jelly,  apple  butter,  peanut  butter, 
blackberry  and  cherry  and  orange  and  lemon  jelly,  pepper 
hash,  sweet  pepper  pickle,  cucumber  and  pear  and  peach 
pickle,  hams,  butter,  sausage,  lard,  eggs  from  hens,  guineas, 
turkeys,  and  ducks,  apples,  peaches,  pears,  grapes,  Jap¬ 
anese  persimmons,  strawberries,  blackberries,  raspberries, 
cured  pork  and  dairy  products  of  all  kinds. 

All  of  these  things  were  well  arranged  and  exhibited 
in  a  booth  and  naturally  attracted  much  attention.  Men 


GENERAL  PROGRESS 


543 


looked  over  the  things  and  remembered  that  they  them¬ 
selves  had  produced  on  their  farms  that  very  year  some 
things  that  young  Haselden  had  not.  They  talked  about 
what  Haselden ’s  eighty  acres  had  grown  and  knew  that 
he  had  marketed  $6,000.00  worth  of  produce  from  his 
farm  that  year.  They  realized  that  all  of  the  things  Hasel¬ 
den  showed,  and  more,  could  be  grown  in  marketable 
quantities  at  a  profit  on  any  small  farm  in  Williamsburg 
Countv.  And  thev  found  out  that  Haselden  was  born  in 

t/ 

1897,  the  youngest  of  seven  sons  and  one  of  twelve  chil¬ 
dren  of  J.  P.  and  Martha  Donnahue  Haselden ;  that  he  had 
received  onlv  the  common  school  education  afforded  bv  the 
old  Johnsonville  school ;  that  he  had  never  been  awav  from 
home  in  his  life  except  to  serve  in  the  World  War;  that  this 
youngster  was  of  good  old  average  Williamsburg  blood 
and  breeding.  They  thought  about  that  $6,000.00  farm 
income,  besides  surplus  products  saved  in  sufficient  quan¬ 
tities  for  the  following  year,  and  remembered  the  low 
prices  of  cotton  and  tobacco  that  year. 

In  Haselden’s  and  competing  exhibits  in  that  1921 
County  Fair  were  a  hundred  things  declaring  “something 
can  be  done.”  Williamsburg  realized  that  it  had  depended 
on  cotton  for  more  than  a  hundred  years  and  that  the 
average  negro  and  the  thriftless  white  would  find  it 
difficult  to  place  their  faith  in  anything  else.  It  was 
determined  to  fight  the  boll  weevil  in  every  way  to  conquer 
the  insect,  but  anyway  starvation  was  impossible  in  this 
favored  land  and  prosperity  was  comparatively  easy  with¬ 
out  cotton.  Every  conceivable  means  for  fighting  the  boll 
weevil  was  utilized.  Some  of  them  were  fanciful  inven¬ 
tions — calcium  arsenate  dusted  on  the  young  cotton  plant, 
or  placed  thereon  in  combination  with  molasses,  was  most 
frequently  used.  There  was  more  than  one  man  in  the 
Countv  who  took  Uncle  Caesar’s  advice  about  raising 
cotton  under  boll  weevil  influence,  which  was,  “Plant  him 
early,  work  him  fast.”  These  men  produced  cotton  sue- 


544 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


cessfully  in  1922,  without  using  poisons.  The  old  story 
of  the  father  who  told  his  son  he  had  hidden  a  great 
treasure  in  his  vineyard,  one  couid  not  help  recalling,  when 
he  saw  Williamsburg  farmers  during  the  fall  and  winter 
of  1922-23  clearing  off  the  hedges  and  ditchbanks  in  order 
to  destroy  hibernating  boll  weevil.  On  these  cleared  hedges 
and  ditchbanks  rows  of  cotton  were  planted  in  1923.  Just 
how  manv  bales  of  cotton  these  theretofore  uncultivated 

9/ 

places  will  produce  cannot  now  be  counted.  The  boll 
weevil  invaded  Coffee  County,  Georgia,  several  years  ago 
and  some  of  its  citizens  seemed  to  believe  all  was  lost.  A 
few  vears  later  a  monument  at  the  countv  seat  was  erected 
to  the  boll  weevil  for  that  the  little  pest  had  taught  the 
county  how  many  things  it  could  produce  at  a  profit  and 
how  vain  a  thing  depending  on  cotton  alone  could  prove. 
The  coming  of  the  boll  weevil  has  already  taught  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  the  same  lesson — and  more.  Its  people  have 
been  driven  to  diversification  of  farm  products,  something 
that  the  Clemson  College  Extension  workers  found  pos¬ 
sible  to  teach  but  few.  One  of  the  most  beneficent  results 
of  the  boll  weevil  plague  has  been  the  convincing  of  a 
majority  of  the  farmers  of  the  County  that  they  do  not 
know  all  things  and  that  even  the}7  may  learn  something 
that  their  fathers  did  not  tell  them. 

Road  building  began  in  Williamsburg  in  1920  when  the 
National  Highway  was  projected  through  this  County 
from  North  to  South.  Later,  real  highways  from  East  to 
West  were  constructed,  and  then  others.  The  United 
States  Government  furnished  half  the  cost  of  building 
this  road  from  Cades  to  Manning,  the  first  undertaken. 
It  was  astonishing  to  see  the  number  of  landowners  along 
this  way  who  resisted  the  project  with  all  their  power. 
Three  years  later,  all  parts  of  the  County  were  pleading 
for  modern  highways. 

The  building  of  Murray’s  Ferry  bridge  over  the  Santee, 
connecting  Williamsburg  with  the  South,  in  August  1923, 


GENERAL  PROGRESS 


545 


was  one  of  the  most  important  acts  in  the  history  of  the 
County.  This  bridge  had  been  badly  needed  for  a  century, 
yet  when  the  county  delegations  of  Charleston,  Berkeley, 
and  Williamsburg  had  the  bill  passed  making  this  project 
materialize,  a  large  number  of  people  in  each  of  the  three 
counties  breathed  vengeance  against  their  delegations. 
These  people,  however,  soon  realized  the  wisdom  of  their 
legislators  and  everybody  approved  before  the  completion 
of  the  bridge.  Hugh  McCutchen  was  senator,  and  W.  H. 
Welch,  S.  C.  Eaddy,  and  S.  A.  Graham  composed  the  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  County  delegation  in  the  legislature  when  the 
Santee  River  bridge  bill  was  passed  in  1920.  On  the 
Charleston  delegation  at  that  time  as  a  member  of  the 
House  of  Representatives  was  D.  Arthur  Brockinton,  a 
native  of  Williamsburg.  Senator  Arthur  Young  and  Rep¬ 
resentative  William  Burguson,  of  Charleston,  and  Repre¬ 
sentative  W.  H.  Welch,  of  Williamsburg,  were  the  three 
active  men  of  these  delegations  in  securing  the  appropri¬ 
ations  that  made  the  Santee  Bridge  possible. 

The  Santee  Bridge  Commission  was  composed  of  three 
men  from  Charleston,  two  from  Berkeley,  and  two  from 
Williamsburg.  This  County’s  representatives  on  the  com¬ 
mission  were  Peter  G.  Gourdin  and  Samuel  A.  Graham. 
Mr.  Gourdin,  a  civil  engineer  of  rank  in  his  profession, 
with  a  first  hand  knowledge  of  Eastern  South  Carolina, 
physically  and  economically,  proved  a  most  valuable  mem¬ 
ber  of  this  commission.  Mr.  Graham  had  been  interested 
in  having  a  bridge  built  over  the  Santee  at  Murray’s  Ferry 
for  manv  vears;  and  during  its  construction  in  1922  and 
1923  gave  it  almost  daily  personal  attention.  His  plan¬ 
tation  is  near  the  bridge  and  his  home  was  always  open 
to  the  commission. 

The  land  owners  of  the  Kingstree  (or  Broad)  Swamp 
section  of  Williamsburg  and  Florence  Counties  had  the 
territory  incorporated  in  1923  and  voted  about  $200,000.00 
in  bonds  for  draining  their  lands  according  to  the  survey 


546 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


made  by  P.  G.  Gourdin,  C.  E.  When  completed,  this 
will  be  one  of  the  largest  drainage  systems  in  the  state, 
with  the  main  drain  canal  running  from  Kingstree  to 
Olanta,  a  distance  of  21  miles,  and  necessary  laterals  to 
drain  smaller  adjoining  swamps.  This  project  will  give 
approximately  50,000  acres  of  fertile  virgin  land  for  ag¬ 
ricultural  purposes,  and  will  doubtless  result  in  stimulat¬ 
ing  the  draining  of  a  million  other  acres  in  Eastern  South 
Carolina.  Mr.  Gourdin  has  been  working  quietly  but 
effectively  for  many  years  for  the  consummation  of 
drainage  systems,  and  the  indications  are  that  his  dreams 
will  come  “true.”  W.  E.  Nesmith  and  J.  N.  McKenzie, 
of  Williamsburg,  and  J.  C.  Young,  of  Florence,  are  the 
Commissioners  of  the  Kingstree  Swamp  Drainage  Dis¬ 
trict,  and  have  had  the  work  begun. 

Out  of  the  storm  and  stress  of  financial  conditions  of 
1922  there  came  the  Tobacco  Growers  Co-operative  Asso¬ 
ciation  and  the  Cotton  Growers  Association,  designed  for 
the  intelligent  marketing  of  these  two  commodities.  Ever 
since  1800,  practically  all  of  the  cotton  produced  in  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  had  been  placed  in  the  market  within  sixty 
days,  during  the  months  of  September  and  October,  of 
each  succeeding  year.  The  Cotton  Growers  Association 
was  designed  to  collect  the  cotton  of  individual  planters 
and  to  distribute  it  into  the  markets  of  the  world  as  needed. 

All  of  the  tobacco  grown  in  Williamsburg  until  1922 
had  been  sold  during  the  month  of  August  and  the  first 
week  in  September.  Buyers  came  to  the  markets  every 
year  from  North  Carolina  and  Virginia  and  forced  the 
tobacco  planters  to  cure  and  sell  all  of  their  crop  within 
sixtv  davs.  Tobacco  sales  warehouses  were  then  “hurrah 

t 

grounds”  where  tobacco  buying  was  more  of  a  gambling 
game  than  anything  else,  with  everything  in  favor  of  the 
buyer.  Farmers  rushed  their  products  from  their  curing 
barns  to  the  sales  floors,  knowing  little  of  the  grade  or 
value  of  their  offerings,  and  buyers  always  played  “safe.” 


GENERAL  PROGRESS 


547 


In  1922,  a  majority  of  the  tobacco  planters  of  Williams- 
burg  joined  the  Co-operative  Association  and  sold  their 
tobacco  through  its  agency.  W.  K.  McIntosh  was  man¬ 
ager  and  W.  T.  Wilkins,  assistant  manager,  for  the  local 
branch.  There  was  no  tobacco  sold  in  Kingstree  in  1922 
except  through  the  Association.  Two  independent  sales 
warehouses  were  operated  in  Kingstree  in  1923.  Wil¬ 
liamsburg  tobacco  farmers  united  with  the  Co-operative 
Association  largely  through  the  influence  and  labors  of 
E.  C.  Epps,  director  in  the  Association  under  appoint¬ 
ment  by  the  Governor  of  South  Carolina.  Mr.  Epps  is  a 
successful  banker.  He  has  seen  for  many  years  the  fear¬ 
ful  results  coming  from  individual  unorganized  sales  of 
farm  products  and  believes  the  economic  salvation  of  to¬ 
bacco  and  cotton  growers  abides  in  co-operative  market¬ 
ing.  Since  he  accepted  appointment  as  director  in  the 
association,  Mr.  Epps  has  become  a  crusading  co-opera¬ 
tive  association  worker.  He  has  made  speeches  all  over 
the  tobacco  district  in  South  Carolina  and  has  proven  his 
right  to  leadership  in  the  association  in  the  State. 

In  the  beginning  of  the  World  War,  wise  men  planted 
things  on  every  available  lot  of  land  in  the  country.  One 
saw  tomatoes  and  beans  growing  close  bv  governors’ 
mansions  in  many  of  the  capital  cities  of  the  country.  In 
the  beginning  of  1923,  Williamsburg  planted  everything 
everywhere — more  things  on  more  ground  than  theretofore 
in  its  history.  Until  the  day  this  was  written,  June  20, 
1923,  it  has  seemed  that  especial  natural  favors  have 
supplemented  its  labors. 

In  1922,  Williamsburg  produced  10,320,000  pounds  of 
leaf  tobacco,  ranking  first  among  the  counties  of  South 
Carolina.  This  date,  1923,  there  were  more  acres  of  better 
tobacco  growing  in  Williamsburg  than  at  the  same  time 
last  year.  There  were,  too,  more  acres  of  cotton,  corn, 
sweet  potatoes,  peas,  vegetables,  fruits,  and  flowers,  and 
all  in  better  condition.  There  were  more  high  grade  cattle 


548 


HISTORY  OF  WILLIAMSBURG 


and  hogs  and  chickens  and  other  things  than  one  year  ago. 

Men  and  women  had  been  and  were  continuing  learning 
rapidly  the  value  of  the  things  that  they  produce  and  how 
to  secure  better  prices  for  them.  Not  only  had  the  men 
actually  realized  that  by  co-operative  marketing  their 
cotton  and  tobacco  commanded  more  money,  but  also  they 
had  learned  that  on  their  plantations  they  produced  many 
things  that  were  salable,  and  that  butter  and  eggs  and 
pork  and  poultry  money  is  just  as  useful  and  valuable  as 
that  obtained  in  any  other  way. 

In  1923,  more  young  men  and  women  from  Williams¬ 
burg  were  graduated  from  the  colleges  of  the  country  than 
in  any  two  years  of  its  prior  history.  More  pupils  were 
in  the  high  and  graded  schools  of  the  County,  and  far  bet¬ 
ter  work  was  done  by  them.  An  unusual  number  of  these 
school  boys  and  girls  made  remarkable  progress  and 
records  during  the  year,  and  recent  college  honor  rolls 
have  been  full  of  Williamsburg  names.  But,  for  the  first 
time  in  its  history,  the  parents  of  Williamsburg  have  been 
learning  far  more  rapidly  than  their  children.  Preachers 
and  prophets  from  Clemson  College  had  been  coming  here 
for  many  years,  but  these  old  farmers  would  not  hear  them. 
“Deflation”  and  the  “Boll  Weevil”  came  two  and  one-half 
years  ago.  These  old  farmers  sneered  and  cursed  and  com¬ 
plained  under  their  schooling;  but,  about  Christmas  time 
1922,  they  could  read  the  handwriting  on  the  wall.  It  de¬ 
clared,  “Produce — in  God’s  name,  produce!” 

Williamsburg  has  left  its  “outgrown  shell  by  life’s 
unresting  sea.” 


INDEX 


(In  this  index,  no  attempt  has  been  made  to  show  the  different  persons 
bearing  the  same  name.  For  example,  there  are  several  men  named 
William  Cooper  indexed  under  that  name.  I  am  grateful  to  Mrs. 
Lunette  Burbage  Cates,  Mrs.  Carrie  Lancaster  Swails,  Miss  Maude 
Allene  Kinder,  and  Miss  Adeline  Shuler  for  very  faithful  work  in 
making  this  index. — W.  W.  B.) 


Abolitionists,  345. 

Abolition  Petitions,  335. 

Abrams,  Isabelle,  243,  246. 

Abrams,  John  B.,  353,  383. 

Abrams,  Robert,  413. 

Abrams,  R.  T.  B.,  349. 

Abrams,  Thomas  B.,  243. 

Abrams,  W.  L.  D.,  398. 

Academy  in  Kingstree,  175. 
Acadians,  56. 

Acheson,  Mary  76. 

Act  Resurveying  Williamsburg,  139. 
Adair,  Alexander,  115. 

Adair,  Benjamin,  115. 

Adair,  James,  115. 

Adair,  John,  115,  118. 

Adair,  Samuel,  142,  153,  154. 
Adams,  D.  E.,  347,  416. 

Adams,  F.  B.,  520. 

Adams,  James,  21. 

Adams,  James  IL,  33S. 

Adams,  J.  P.,  357. 

Adams,  John,  154. 

Adams,  Joseph,  199,  225. 

Adams,  Margaret,  154. 

Adams,  Robert,  79,  483. 

Adams,  Sarah,  79. 

Adams,  W.  J.,  357,  348. 

Aimwell  Church,  48,  119,  185,  210. 
Aimwell  School,  473. 

“All  for  White  Man,”  453. 
Allsbrook,  Clarence,  503. 

Allsbrook,  Mrs.  J.  B.,  532. 
Altamalia,  3. 

Alston,  Governor,  253. 

Akerman,  A.,  349. 

Alexander,  James,  145. 

Alexander  III,  29. 

Allen,  David,  19,  45,  46,  62. 

Allen,  D.  A.,  346. 

Allen,  Henry,  154. 

Allen,  John,  62,  154. 

Allen,  Lucile,  473. 

Allen,  Matthew,  211. 

Allen,  W.  S.,  382,  409. 


Ailing,  Matthew,  230. 

Allison,  James,  115. 

Allison,  John,  20S. 

Allison,  Robert,  21,  153. 

Allison,  Sarah,  154. 

Allison’s  Ferry,  208. 

Altman,  A.  T.,  352. 

Altman,  C.  T.,  352,  398,  399. 
Altman,  Jane,  154. 

Altman,  John  A.,  407. 

Altman,  John  J.,  361. 

Altman,  Nicholas  T.,  353. 

Altman,  T.  E.,  349. 

Altman,  T.  L.,  408. 

Altman,  P.  N.,  398. 

Altman,  Thomas,  399,  408. 

Altman,  Thomas  G.,  349. 

Altman  W.,  381. 

Altman,  W.  E.,  475. 

Altman,  W.  H.,  474. 

Altman,  William  J.,  353. 

Amaker,  Mrs.  J.  O.,  475. 

Anderson,  Alexander,  74. 

Anderson,  Ann,  74. 

Anderson,  David,  70,  71. 

Anderson,  Gertrude,  515. 

Anderson,  G.  W.,  351. 

Anderson,  G.  P.,  3S0,  413. 
Anderson,  James,  154. 

Anderson,  John,  21,  66(,  70,  142,  115. 
Anderson,  J.  P.,  349. 

Anderson  Joseph,  66. 

Anderson,  Major,  345. 

Anderson,  Robert,  408. 

Anderson,  S.  C.,  485. 

Anderson,  Williams,  74,  154. 
Anderson  School,  474. 

Andrews,  D.  J.,  352. 

Andrews’,  Governor,  Policy,  437. 
Andrews,  J.  D.,  4S6. 

Andrews,  Lemuel,  292. 

Antipaedo  Baptists,  24. 

Antrim,  27. 

“Ardent  Spirits,”  312. 

Appamattox,  417. 


550 


INDEX 


Ardesoif,  96,  124. 

Aristocracy,  458. 

Aristocracy  Republic,  215. 

Armagh,  27. 

Arminianism,  254,  271. 

Arminius,  James,  271. 

Amies,  E.  S.,  343,  361. 

Ard,  Barbary,  154. 

Ard,  Benjamin,  199,  352,  353,  362, 
398. 

Ard,  Barnabas,  199,  233. 

Ard,  E.  G.,  346.,  398. 

Ard,  E.,  398,  406,  353. 

Ard,  E.  H.,  362. 

Ard,  E.  L.,  464,  528. 

Ard,  G.  W.,  362. 

Ard,  James,  199,  346. 

Ard,  I.,  406. 

Ard,  John,  353,  398,  406. 

Ard,  Joseph,  346,  409. 

Ard,  Reuben,  346,  353,  398. 

Ard,  T.  S.,  362. 

Ard,  William,  233. 

Arely,  Andrew,  154. 

Armstrong,  Mrs.  E.  S.,  295. 
Armstrong,  James,  10,  13,  21,  25, 
66,  70,  75,  115,  118,  127,  143, 
154.,  179,  ISO. 

Armstrong,  John,  114,  115,  118,  295. 
Armstrong,  Mary,  79,  84. 
Armstrong,  William,  115. 

Arnett,  David,  21,  151. 

Arnett,  Mrs.  Jane,  118. 

Arnett,  J.  A.,  357,  400. 

Arnett,  John,  115, 118, 179, 199,  227. 
Arnett,  V.  G.,  473,  500,  530. 
Arnett,  Mrs.  V.  G.,  515. 
Arrowsmith,  Mrs.  T.  E.,  514,  515. 
Arrowsmith,  T.  E.,  525. 
Arrowsmith,  Mrs.  P.  O.,  513,  515, 
532. 

Asbury,  Francis,  187,  271,  292. 
Asbury’s  First  Journey,  187. 
Asbury’s  Experiences,  189. 

Askins,  J.  A.,  352. 

Askins,  Hoxie  G.,  528. 
Asurbanipal,  27. 

Athol,  John,  21,  153. 

Atlanta — Battle,  407. 

“Auld  Lichts,”  173. 

Atkins,  J.,  69. 

Atkinson,  Anthony,  23,  53. 
Atkinson,  Eison,  224. 

Atkinson,  Jacob,  352,  361. 
Atkinson,  James,  199. 

Atkinson,  Major,  436. 

Atkinson,  Mary,  23. 


Atkinson,  Stephen,  199. 
Atkinson,  S.  T.,  444. 

Austin,  Francis,  115. 

Austin,  Jennett,  226. 

Austin,  John,  115. 

Austin,  Thomas,  115. 

Avant,  Caleb,  23. 

Avant,  B.  J.,  409. 

Avant,  Francis,  53,  74,  154. 
Avant,  Gladys,  473. 

Avant,  Hannah,  23,  74. 

Avant,  John,  23,  74,  211. 
Avant,  Lydia,  74. 

Avant,  Mary,  23. 

Avant,  Orlando,  354. 

Avant,  Rebecca,  74. 

Avant’s  Ferry,  211. 

Averton,  Mary,  79. 

Axson,  Elijah,  154. 

Ayers,  Thomas,  199. 

Babb,  Lilia,  472. 

“Back  Country,”  132. 

Bagnall,  Ebenezer,  25. 
Bagnall,  Isaac,  239. 

Bagnall,  John  B.,  239. 
Baggett,  J.  J.,  398. 

Baggett,  Frank,  473. 

Baggell,  N.  W.,  387. 

Bailey,  James,  200. 

Bailey,  William,  163. 

Baker’s  Meeting,  294. 

Baker,  B.  C.,  472. 

Baker,  Benjamin,  530. 

Baker,  Daniel,  287,  294,  381. 
Baker,  E.  O.,  472. 

Baker,  H.  L.,  500,  501,  527. 
Baker,  Janies,  234. 

Baker,  J.  E.,  363,  474. 

Baker,  John,  234.  245. 

Baker,  M.  R.  D.,  346,  409. 
Baker,  W.  B.,  488. 

Baker,  W.  H.,  475. 

Baldwin,  A.  H.,  472. 

Ball,  Elias,  104. 

Ballentine,  John,  21,  69,  152. 
Ballentine,  James,  200. 

Banks,  William,  481. 

Banking  Growth,  502. 
Banking  in  Country,  496. 

Bank  of  Cades,  500. 

Bank  of  Greelyville,  498. 

Bank  of  Hemingway,  500. 
Bank  of  Kingstree,  496. 

Bank  of  Trio,  501. 

Bank  of  Williamsburg,  498. 
Baptist  Churches,  486. 


INDEX 


551 


Baptist  Ministers,  48G. 

Barber,  John,  155. 

Barfield,  Charles,  154. 

Barfield,  Harvey,  309. 

Barfield,  J.  K.,  382. 

Barfield,  T.  E.,  34S,  353. 

Barefoot,  John,  155. 

Barhamville  Female  College,  305. 
Barrineau  School,  475. 

Barrineau,  Arthur,  155,  200,  221. 
Barrineau,  B.  L.,  354,  357. 
Barrineau,  Charles,  240. 
Barrineau,  C.  R.,  347. 

Barrineau,  Daniel,  402. 

Barrineau,  E.  F.,  244. 

Barrineau,  E.  G.,  349. 

Barrineau,  E.  M.,  347. 

Barrineau,  Fereby,  221. 

Barrineau,  George,  290. 
Barrineau,  G.  W.,  347. 

Barrineau,  Isaac,  142,  152,  155,  200, 
221,  244. 

Barrineau,  Jesse,  221. 

Barrineau,  John,  347. 

Barrineau,  J.  E.,  348,  357,  400. 

Barrineau,  J.  J.,  354,  407. 

Barrineau,  J.  P.,  442. 

Barrineau,  J.  T.,  34G,  407. 
Barrineau,  Levi,  200,  235. 
Barrineau,  Manuel,  200,  221. 
Barrineau,  Margaret,  200,  221. 
Barrineau,  Martha,  289. 
Barrineau,  Priscilla,  290. 
Barrineau,  Risdon,  200. 

Barrineau,  R.  II.,  343,  347. 
Barrineau,  Sarah,  221,  244. 
Barrineau,  Mrs.  S.  L.,  4G8. 
Barrineau,  W.  J.,  357. 

Barrineau,  W.  L.,  347. 

Barker,  John,  155,  200. 

Barker,  Mrs.  Thomas,  95. 

Barley,  J.  L.,  4G8. 

Barnes,  B.  J.,  352. 

Barnes,  John,  21,  153,  155. 

Barnes,  J.  II.,  398. 

Barnwell,  R.  W.,  384. 

Barr,  Caleb,  74. 

Barr,  Daniel,  229,  3G1. 

Barr,  D.  D.,  349. 

Barr,  Elizabeth,  220. 

Barr,  Esther,  74. 

Barr,  George,  21,  49,  198,  244,  245, 
259,  274,  279,  280,  289,  468,  526. 
Barr,  Isaac,  74. 

Barr,  Jacob,  74. 

Barr,  John,  74,  76,  79,  199,  229,  244. 
Barr,  James,  70,  74,  155,  199,  229. 


Barr,  Jane,  229,  264. 

Barr,  Jannet,  245,  259. 

Barr,  J.  D.,  469. 

Barr,  Lula,  519. 

Barr,  Margaret,  74,  76,  79,  143. 
Barr,  Matthew,  153. 

Barr,  Mary,  259. 

Barr,  Nathaniel,  74. 

Barr,  Rachael,  74. 

Barr,  Silas,  74. 

Barr,  Sue  T.,  468. 

Barr,  W.  C.,  369,  397. 

Barr,  William,  74. 

Barron,  B.  P.,  353,  355,  528. 
Barron,  John,  528. 

Barron,  G.  W.,  3S3. 

Barron,  R.  M.,  382. 

Barrow,  J.  R.,  465,  515. 

Barrow,  Mrs.  J.  R.,  515. 

Barry,  Joseph,  21. 

Bartell,  Jasper,  351. 

Bartell,  Jacob,  154. 

Bartell,  William,  352. 

Bartley,  E.  B.,  406. 

Bartley,  J.  L.,  406. 

Barton,  Mary,  23. 

Barton,  William,  23. 

Barwell,  Evans,  157. 

Basnett,  John,  21,  150. 

Bass,  J.  M.,  405. 

Bass,  Mrs.  R.  L.,  514. 

Bass,  R.  L.,  515,  516,  574. 

Bass,  W.  L.,  463,  465,  528. 
Bates,  Benjamin,  21,  152. 

Bates,  Isaac,  154,  155. 

Bates,  Sadie,  475. 

Bates,  Sarah,  246. 

Bates,  Tobias,  246. 

Battiste,  Walter,  503. 

Battle  of  Black  Mingo,  104. 
Battle  of  Cold  Harbor,  355. 
Battery  Island,  347. 

Battle  Losses,  406. 

Battle  of  Lower  Bridge,  109. 
Battle  of  Mount  Hope,  109. 
Battalion  Musters,  319. 

Battle  of  Tarcote,  107,  121. 
Battle  of  Trevillian,  355. 

Battle  of  Williamsburg,  382. 
Baxley,  D.  W.,  3S4. 

Baxley,  E.,  3S1,  397,  405. 
Baxley,  H.  C.,  3S4. 

Baxley,  Joshua,  200. 

Baxley,  J.  W.,  349,  3S4. 

Baxley,  O.  W.,  398. 

Baxley,  Riley,  360. 

Baxley,  William,  360. 


552 


INDEX 


Baxley,  W.  J.,  349,  3S2. 

Baxter,  Ann,  74. 

Baxter,  Charles,  25,  74. 

Baxter,  Israel,  115. 

Baxter,  James,  207. 

Baxter,  John,  49,  69,  76,  119,  131, 
114,  143,  154,  247,  248. 
Baxter,  Robert,  122. 

Baylor,  Deems,  503,  512. 

Beard,  Thomas  J.,  149,  150. 

Beard,  Henry,  154. 

Beasley,  G.  M.,  501,  516. 

Beasley,  S.  M.,  463. 

Beatty,  Benjamin,  350,  383. 
Beaufort,  2. 

Beauregard,  General,  345^  385. 
Becky,  D.  N.,  231. 

Becton,  P.  N.,  528. 

Bedon,  Henry,  25. 

Bedgegood,  Nicholas,  195. 

Belin,  Allard,  119,  127. 

Belin,  Cleland,  195,  196^  225,  242, 
292,  318,  321. 

Belin,  Elam,  253. 

Belin,  James,  118,  119. 

Belin,  James  F.,  242. 

Belin,  John,  242. 

Belin,  William,  196. 

Bellune,  Francis,  158. 

Bellune,  Jane  C.,  224. 

Bellune,  Matthew,  196. 

Bell,  J.  M.,  357. 

Bell,  Raphael,  230. 

Belser,  W.  M.,  311. 

Belser  School,  474. 

Benton,  Ann,  231. 

Benton,  Cress,  155. 

Benton,  David,  225. 

Benton,  Elijah,  233. 

Benton,  Elizabeth,  233. 

Benton,  John,  199,  233. 

Benton,  Joseph,  199. 

Benton,  Mack,  474. 

Benton,  i>±ary,  231. 

Benton,  Martha,  233. 

Benton,  Moses,  199,  231,  233. 
Benton,  Rachael,  233. 

Benton,  Robert,  200,  233. 

Benton,  Sarah,  231,  233. 

Benton,  Simon,  231. 

Benton,  Susannah,  233. 

Benton,  Vila,  233. 

Benton,  William,  199. 

Bennett,  Henry,  23. 

Bennett,  Rebecca,  23. 

Bennett,  Samuel,  115,  118. 
Benbow’s  Ferry,  208. 


Benbow,  M.  M.,  302. 

Bennett’s  School,  75. 

Benson,  Jacob,  360. 

Bentonville,  413. 

Bethel,  Bequest,  236. 

Bernard,  Matthew,  21. 

Bernard,  Paul,  155. 

Berry,  James,  155. 

Berry,  Lydford,  155. 

Berry,  Thomas,  155. 

Berwick,  James,  70. 

Bethany  Academy,  305. 

Bethel  Church,  176,  179,  302. 

Bethel  Congregation,  176,  179. 
Bethel  faction,  177. 

Bethel  School,  474. 

Bethesda  Church,  487. 

Beulah  School,  475. 

Bible  Class,  262. 

Bible  Desecrated,  429. 

Bible  Society  Formed,  180. 

“Big  Four”  Captains,  130. 

Bigamy  (?)  among  Slaves,  261. 
Biggen,  James,  154. 

Bignion,  Joseph,  21,  45,  152. 

Bill,  Son  of  a  Cannibal,  333. 
Bineau,  Michael,  155. 

Birds  of  Passage,  458. 

Birch  Creek  School,  475. 

Birch,  Joseph,  155. 

Biscuit  Rebellion,  306. 

Bishop,  J.  W.,  486. 

Bishop,  S.  E.,  483. 

Blackberry  Time,  541. 

Blackborn,  Gabril,  155. 

Blackmon,  James,  208. 

Blackwell,  C.  A.,  468. 

Blackwell,  J.  H.,  463. 

Blackwell,  Mary  A.,  245. 
Blackwell,  Michael,  200,  205. 
Blackwell,  Thomas,  200. 
Blackwell,  T.  J.,  40S. 

Blackwell,  W.  E.,  472. 

“Black  and  Tan”  Legislature,  439. 
Black  Border  Counties,  455. 

Black  River,  3,  59. 

Black  River  Church,  18. 

Black  River  P.  O.,  531. 

Black  River  School,  475. 

Black  Church  members,  262. 

Black  Mingo,  24,  187. 

Black  Mingo  Bridge,  210. 

Black  Mingo  Church,  48,  52,  172, 
176,  195,  292. 

Black  Mingo  Congregation,  76. 
Black  Mingo  Ferry,  207. 


INDEX 


553 


Blake,  B.  G.,  382. 

Blake,  Captain,  434. 

Blake,  James,  246. 

Blake,  Jane,  246. 

Blake,  John,  246. 

Blake,  Joseph,  75. 

Blake,  Mary,  246. 

Blake,  Sarah,  76. 

Blakely  resigns,  285. 

Blakely’s  letter,  285. 

Blakely,  Bertha,  473. 

Blakely,  Catherine,  239. 

Blakely,  Charlie,  503. 

Blakely,  Dorothy,  233. 

Blakely,  Elizabeth,  75,  77,  84,  287, 
360. 

Blakely,  E.  T.,  287. 

Blakely,  E.  P.,  357. 

Blakely,  IJ.  W.,  350,  383. 

Blakely,  James,  21,  47,  75,  142. 
143,  179,  180. 

Blakely,  Jannet,  84,  179,  ISO. 
Blakely,  John,  21,  47,  66,  75,  115, 
143,  179,  199,  200,  226. 

Blakely,  J.  J.,  353. 

Blakely,  J.  L.,  360. 

Blakely,  Madge,  475. 

Blakely,  R.  D.,  465. 

Blakely,  Robert  F.,  287. 

Blakely,  R.  R.,  381. 

Blakely,  R.  W.,  474. 

Blakely,  Sarah,  287. 

Blakely,  S.  S.,  357. 

Blakely,  T.  A.,  498. 

Blakely,  Thomas,  353. 

Blakely,  Thomas  W.,  353,  400. 
Blakely,  W.  F.,  284. 

Blakely,  William  J.,  353,  400. 
Blakeway,  Sarah,  69. 

Blanding,  Colonel,  361. 

Hlanchard,  Benjamin,  200,  224,  228, 
244. 

Blanchard,  Catherine,  233. 
Blanchard,  Henry,  242. 

Blanchard,  William  F.,  224. 

Bland,  Thomas,  155. 

Bliss,  John,  21,  151. 

Bloomingvale  School,  475. 

Blunt,  Jesse,  200. 

Blunt,  J.  G.,  155. 

Bluset,  Daniel,  25,  70. 

Boatwright,  W.  N.,  409. 

Boddie,  Helen  Scott,  466. 

Boddie,  W.  W.,  470,  528. 

Boggy  Swamp,  13. 

Boisseau,  Marian,  84. 

Boll  Weevil,  544. 


“Boll  Weevil”  Pest,  540. 

Boll  Weevil  Superstition,  541. 
Bolling,  John,  142. 

Bonneau,  Anthony,  92. 

Bonneau,  Paul,  25,  71. 

Bonnell,  John,  53. 

Bonnell,  Mary,  56. 

Boone,  Capers,  155. 

Boone,  John,  25,  155. 

Boone,  Mary,  155. 

Boone,  Robert,  155. 

Boone,  Thomas,  25,  155,  188,  207, 
384. 

Boonesboro,  383. 

Booth,  Robert,  155. 

Borland,  Archibald,  75. 

Borland,  Elizabeth,  75. 

Borland,  Jean,  75. 

Borland,  John,  21,  115,  142. 
Borland,  Mary,  75. 

Borland,  William,  75. 

Bossard,  John,  210. 

Bostwick,  Ann,  229. 

Bostwick,  Elijah,  228. 

Bostwick,  Henry  H.,  199,  227. 
Bostwick,  J.  H.,  352. 

Bostwick,  Jonathan,  21,  155,  200. 

222. 

Bostwick,  T.  J.,  351. 

Bostwick,  William  H.,  228. 

Boston  Tea  Party,  95. 

Boswell,  C.  W.,  473,  499,  513. 
Bottom  Rail  on  Top,  449. 
Botsford,  John,  195. 

Bouquets  from  Ladies,  3S7. 
Boutwell,  Joseph,  155. 

Bowden,  Henry,  378. 

Bowen,  Bishop,  186. 

Bowen,  Margaret,  161. 

Bowlee,  Margaret,  162. 

Boyd,  A.  C.,  501. 

Boyd,  Capers,  474. 

Boyd,  Charles,  348,  487. 

Boyd,  Eleanor,  236. 

Boyd,  Evans,  155. 

Boyd,  Franklin,  295. 

Boyd,  F.  W.,  343,  397,  416. 

Boyd,  Hugh,  200,  236,  429,  4S7,  514. 
Boyd,  I.  N.,  499,  527. 

Boyd,  James,  24. 

Boyd,  John,  115,  118,  143,  152,  155, 
199,  503,  527. 

Boyd,  Mrs.  Leamie,  475,  474. 

Boyd,  Mrs.  Martha,  118. 

Boyd,  Mehitable,  24. 

Boyd,  M.  L.,  474. 

Boyd,  Pauline,  472. 


554 


INDEX 


Boyd,  R.  W.,  348. 

Boyd  School,  475. 

Boyd,  W.  S.,  527. 

Boyd,  Mrs.  W.  S.,  532. 

Boyd,  William  W.,  487. 

Bovkin,  Isham,  503. 

Boyle,  T.  W.,  473,  408,  515,  529. 
Bracey,  William,  138,  143,  145,  146, 
152,  155,  250. 

Bradford,  John,  115. 

Bradford  Springs  School,  305. 
Bradford,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  370. 
Bradham,  Benjamin,  200. 

Bradham,  F.  E.,  514,  516. 
Bradham,  J.  A.,  398,  343,  347,  348, 
47(* 

Bradham,  J.  H.,  407,  408. 
Bradham,  J.  J.,  474. 

Bradham,  John,  348. 

Bradham,  R.  J.,  343,  361. 
Bradham,  William,  297,  515. 
Bradley,  Aaron,  200. 

Bradley,  Cecelia,  289. 

Bradley,  Elizabeth,  118,  126,  235. 
Bradley,  Jane,  74. 

Bradley,  Jannet,  230,  235. 

Bradley,  James,  20,  21,  45,  46,  66, 
74,  101,  115,  133,  142,  144,  146, 
151,  155,  179,  183,  199,  225, 
230,  232,  233,  235,  268,  269, 
289,  343,  527. 

Bradley,  John,  66,  70. 

Bradley,  John  P.,  295. 

Bradley,  Joseph,  80,  2701,  311. 
Bradley,  Mary,  74,  230,  235. 
Bradley,  Robert,  233,  235,  481. 
Bradley,  Robert  W.,  230,  311,  317. 
Bradley,  Samuel,  66,  74,  85,  230. 
Bradley,  Sarah,  230,  235,  289. 
Bradley,  S.  J.,  311,  402. 

Bradley,  Thomas,  66. 

Bradley,  William,  66. 

Bradley,  William  W.,  230. 
Bradshaw,  A.,  354,  416. 

Bradshaw,  Amelia,  235. 

Bradshaw,  Asa,  200,  235. 
Bradshaw,  James,  221. 

Bradshaw,  John,  357,  381. 
Bradshaw,  Joseph,  346. 

Bradshaw,  J.  R.,  381. 

Bradshaw,  Levina,  221, 

Bradshaw,  Silas,  235. 

Bradshaw,  Malachi,  353. 
Bradshaw,  Moses,  235. 

Bradshaw,  Samuel,  200,  235. 
Bradshaw,  Mary,  200. 

Brady,  John,  138,  149. 


Brady,  William,  89,  216. 

Bragg’s  Army,  385. 

Brogdon,  J.,  399. 

Brand,  W.  S.,  302,  361. 

Brass,  396. 

Braswell,  William  W.,  350. 
Braveboy,  Joshua,  115,  154,  338. 
Braveboy,  Morris,  199,  351. 
Braveboy,  M.  M.,  351,  399. 
Braxton,  J.  W.,  346,  363. 
Brewington,  121,  185,  1S6. 
Brewington  Road,  208. 

Brewington  Singing  School,  301. 
Brewington,  Orange,  4S8. 

Brick  Mercantiles,  520. 

Bridge  at  King’s  Tree,  62. 
Bridgman,  A.  C.,  4S3. 

Bridgman,  J.  F.,  384. 

Brisket,  F.,  357. 

Bristow,  Louis  J.,  521. 

Britton’s  Ferry,  139. 

Britton’s  Ferry  Road,  208. 

Britton,  Ann,  74,  75. 

Britton,  Benjamin,  74,  196,  200, 
210,  211,  222,  244,  264. 
Britton,  B.  E.,  350. 

Britton,  B.  F.,  384. 

Britton,  Daniel,  24.  75, 

Britton,  Daniel  L.,  74,  84. 

Britton,  Elizabeth  H.,  24. 

Britton,  E.  H.,  397. 

Britton,  Elizabeth,  74,  75. 

Britton,  Francis,  57,  74,  75,  84,  92, 

200. 

Britton,  Francis  M.,  349,  261. 
Britton,  Miss  F.  W.,  468. 

Britton,  Henry,  74,  84,  189. 
Britton,  Hester  J.,  24. 

Britton,  H.  O.,  405,  464,  504. 
Britton,  Jane,  75. 

Britton,  John,  74. 

Britton,  John  F.  D.,  319,  349. 
Britton,  J.  W.,  43,  360. 

Britton,  John  D.,  464,  503. 

Britton,  Joseph,  74,  75,  84. 

Britton,  Martha,  74,  84. 

Britton,  Mary,  74,  75,  84. 

Britton,  Moses,  24,  57,  74,  75,  84. 
Britton,  Philip,  74,  75,  84. 

Britton,  Rachael,  75. 

Britton,  Rebecca,  74. 

Britton,  S.  P.,  531. 

Britton,  S.  S.,  349,  487. 

Britton,  Timothy,  75,  200. 

Britton,  T.  G.,  357,  406,  407. 
Britton,  T.  J.,  349. 

Britton,  Thomas  M.,  287,  349,  406, 


INDEX 


555 


408. 

Britton,  Thomas,  74. 

Britton,  T.  N.,  340,  377. 

Britton,  W.  II.,  300,  413. 

Britton,  W.  J.,  340,  383,  503. 

Brock,  L.  G.,  500,  530. 

Brockinton,  Burrows  P.,  242,  343, 
340,  384,  307. 

Brockinton,  Caroline  M.,  242. 
Brockinton,  Cosmo  E.,  503. 
Brockinton,  D.  Arthur,  545. 
Brockinton,  Eliza,  280. 
Brockinton,  Elizabeth,  74,  426. 
Brockinton,  Hannah,  74. 
Brockinton,  James  S.,  241,  205,  311, 
317,  343,  348,  350,  384,  307,  527. 
Brockinton,  J.  Screven,  480. 
Brockinton,  John,  74,  77,  102,  115, 
120,  132,  100,  242,  154,  155,  252. 
Brockinton,  John  F.,  241,  317,  340, 
300,  300,  307,  309,  464,  525,  527, 
530,  538. 

Brockinton,  Mrs.  J.  F.,  306. 
Brockinton,  John  R.,  408,  527. 
Brockinton,  Joseph,  75. 
Brockinton,  Joseph  E.,  464. 
Brockinton,  Louise,  241. 
Brockinton,  Laura  A.,  468. 
Brockinton,  Martha,  200,  200,  242. 
Brockinton,  Martha  A.,  242. 
Brockinton,  Margaret,  468. 
Brockinton,  Mary,  74. 

Brockinton,  P.  M.,  464,  474. 
Brockinton,  Rachael,  75. 
Brockinton,  Richard,  74. 
Brockinton,  Sarah,  74,  75. 
Brockinton,  Virginia,  205. 
Brockinton,,  William,  25,  74,  75, 
100,  234. 

Brockinton,  Mrs.  W.  E.,  514. 
Brockintodn,  William  R.,  241,  312, 
343,  360,  440,  464. 

Brockinton,  William  S.,  184,  237, 
240,  241,  242. 

Brockinton,  W.  V.,  527. 
Brockinton,  Mrs.  W.  V.,  532. 
Brogdon,  J.  B.,  352. 

Brogdon,  John  W.,  301. 

Brogdon,  Mary  B.,  301. 

Brogdon,  William,  356. 
Broomstraw  Road,  301. 

Broome,  John,  200. 

Broughton,  Thomas,  207. 

Browder,  B.  R.,  353,  470. 
Browder,  E.,  353,  406. 

Browder,  Henry,  354. 

Browder,  Isaac,  353. 


Browder,  McKenzie,  353. 

Browder,  S.  W.,  346,  308. 
Browder,  Thomas,  200. 

Browder,  William  T.,  353. 

Brown,  Abner,  200,  230. 

Brown,  Abner  IT.,  354. 

Brown,  Agnes,  232,  245. 

Brown,  Ann,  155,  224. 

Brown,  Asa,  237,  205,  348. 

Brown,  Augustus,  469. 

Brown,  A.  D.,  503. 

Brown,  B.  A.,  468. 

Brown,  Mrs.  B.  A.,  513. 

Brown,  Daniel,  181,  109. 

Brown,  D.  L.,  354,  406,  463,  468. 
Brown,  Duncan,  101.  ^ 

Brown,  D.  C.,  473. 

Brown’s  Ferry,  10. 

Brown,  Hesther,  23. 

Brown,  H.  J.,  346,  407,  414,  415, 
400,  523,  520. 

Brown,  H.  P.,  500,  501,  502,  515. 
Brown,  I.  M.,  347. 

Brown,  James,  115,  155,  199. 
Brown,  Jeremiah,  154. 

Brown,  J.  E.,  538. 

Brown,  J.  J.,  353,  308,  468. 
Brown,  J.  L.,  320. 

Brown,  J.  M.,  348,  300,  408,  465. 
Brown,  J.  W.,  351,  40S. 

Brown,  John,  53,  115,  150,  154,  155, 
101,  105,  354. 

Brown,  Levi,  381,  400,  530. 

Brown,  M.  A.,  340,  407. 

Brown,  Moses,  57,  217. 

Brown,  Robert,  100,  200. 

Brown,  R.  N.,  350. 

Brown,  Sarah,  37,  100. 

Brown,  S.  B.,  384. 

Brown,  Thomas,  21,  218. 

Brown,  Thomas  M.,  150,  200,  222, 
228. 

Brown,  William,  23,  84,  104,  109, 
343,  398. 

Brown,  William  C.,  4S2. 

Brown,  W.  H.,  381. 

Brown,  W.  J.,  309. 

Brown,  W.  R.,  465,  468. 

Brunson,  Ann,  23. 

Brunson,  Clarence,  503. 

Brunson,  Daniel,  84. 

Brunson,  David,  84,  228. 

Brunson,  Isaac,  25,  62,  71,  84. 
Brunson,  James,  115,  118. 
Brunson,  James  II.,  352. 

Brunson,  John,  23. 

Brunson,  Joshua,  S4. 


1 


556 


INDEX 


Brunson,  Josiah,  84. 

Brunson,  Mary,  S4. 

Brunson,  Matthew,  S4. 

Brunson,  Moses,  84. 

Brunson,  M.  A.,  488. 

Brunson,  Susannah,  84. 

Brunson,  T.  S.,  529. 

Brunson,  William,  115. 

Bryan,  James,  328. 

Bryan,  J.  R.,  357. 

Bryan,  Walter,  328. 

Bryan,  William,  328. 

Bryan,  W.  B.,  463. 

Bryan,  W.  D.,  515,  516,  531. 

Bryan,  W.  R.,  531. 

Buchanan,  President,  344. 
Buchanan,  Ethel,  473. 

Buckles,  Henry,  354,  409. 

Buckles,  J.  M.,  347,  3S1. 

Buckles,  Lydford,  354,  398. 
Buckles,  R.  A.,  357,  405. 

Budden,  Ann,  244. 

Budden,  F.  A.,  489. 

Budden,  James,  244. 

Budden,  John,  84. 

Budden,  Moses,  236. 

Budden,  Solomon,  199,  227,  244. 
Budden,  W.  P.,  351,  384. 

Bueck,  H.,  472. 

Buffkin,  P.  H.,  328. 

Buford,  William,  84,  114,  120,  156, 
191,  208,  226,  268. 

Buford,  William  J.,  244,  311. 

Bull  Run,  366. 

Bull,  H.  B.,  484. 

Bull,  William,  67. 

Bullock,  E.  J.,  155. 

Bully  Contest,  318. 

Bunch,  John,  292. 

Bunch,  W.  H.,  401. 

Burbage,  Jonathan,  154. 

Burdick,  Elam  C.,  224,  232. 
Burdick,  E.  H.,  224,  232. 

Burdick,  Fred  A.,  232. 

Burdick,  Sarah,  229. 

Burdick,  William  R.,  353,  406. 
Burch,  Sarah,  473. 

Burgess,  Amelia,  287. 

Burgess,  Bartow,  503. 

Burgess,  Mrs.  Bishop,  515. 

Burgess,  Caroline,  221. 

Burgess,  C.  C.,  514. 

Burgess,  C.  L.,  474. 

Burgess,  D.  I.,  363,  538. 

Burgess,  E.  C.,  481,  519,  520,  539. 
Burgess,  G.  W.,  363,  483. 

Burgess,  Israel,  512. 


Burgess,  James,  145,  146,  147,  151, 
1S7,  199,  200,  205,  208,  224,  230, 
256,  287. 

Burgess,  James  M.,  347,  4S0,  487, 
527. 

Burgess,  Jane,  221. 

Burgess,  Jannet,  229. 

Burgess,  Jannet  D.,  287. 

Burgess,  Jannet  M.,  229. 

Burgess,  J.  A.,  363. 

Burgess,  J.  C.,  363. 

Burgess,  J.  D.,  474. 

Burgess,  J.  H.,  347. 

Burgess,  J.  P.,  363. 

Burgess,  John,  25,  135,  136,  139, 
141,  142,  145,  146,  147,  151, 

152,  220,  230,  515. 

Burgess,  John  D.,  221,  233. 
Burgess,  Joseph,  115,  87. 

Burgess,  Louisa,  221. 

Burgess,  Margaret,  221. 

Burgess,  Martha,  472. 

Burgess,  Mary,  221. 

Burgess,  Mary  M.,  287. 

Burgess,  Pomelia,  221. 

Burgess,  R.  G.,  347. 

Burgess,  R.  W.,  363. 

Burgess,  S.  A.,  302. 

Burgess,  S.  H.,  363. 

Burgess,  Thomas,  229. 

Burgess,  W.  J.,  302,  347. 

Burgess,  William,  25,  115,  118. 
Burguson,  William,  545. 

Burkett,  J.  H.,  472. 

Burkett,  Louis  E.,  399. 

Burket,  F.  B.,  380,  384. 

Burket,  T.  E.,  351. 

Burnett,  Sabrine,  25. 

Burns,  James  H.,  354. 

Burns,  John,  118. 

Burns,  R.  W.,  3S2. 

Burr,  Aaron,  253. 

Burr,  Theodosia,  253. 

Burrows,  Emeline,  290. 

Burrows,  George,  21,  57,  66,  74, 

153,  155,  200,  221. 

Burrows,  George  W.,  221,  408. 
Burrows,  H.  M.,  473. 

Burrows,  Jane,  74,  236. 

Burrows,  John,  83,  115,  155,  200, 

229. 

Burrows,  John  T.,  407,  486. 
Burrows,  Joseph,  74,  155. 
Burrows,  Nathan,  512. 

Burrows,  Samuel,  74,  155. 
Burrows,  S.  W.,  351. 


INDEX 


557 


Burrows,  Thomas,  200,  220,  232, 
3G2. 

Burrows,  Thomas  J.,  353,  308,  400. 
Burrows,  William,  74,  200,  115,  118, 
218,  221,  223,  224,  240,  242, 

3S1. 

Burrows,  W.  D.,  400. 

Burrows,  W.  E.,  473. 

Burrows,  William  J.,  224,  220. 
Burton,  Nancy,  155. 

Bushart,  J.  B.,  502. 

Butler,  Daniel,  70. 

Butler,  J.  F.,  405. 

Butler,  General  M.  C.,  35G. 

Butler,  Sarah,  154,  155. 

Byrd,  Ann,  222. 

Byrd,  Amea,  242. 

Byrd’s  Battalion,  358. 

Byrd,  H.  L.,  z83. 

Byrd,  H.  O.,  527. 

Byrd,  J.  D.,  381,  405. 

Byrd,  J.  H.,  405. 

Byrd,  Orpha,  222. 

Byrd,  S.  D.  M.,  317,  343,  358,  370, 
45G,  4G0,  4G3,  527. 

Cade,  Adeline,  230. 

Cade,  Agnes,  230. 

Cade,  Andrew,  230,  530. 

Cade,  Charles,  230. 

Cade,  C.  A.,  530. 

Cade,  C.  W.,  260,  4SG,  520. 

Cade,  Elizabeth,  230. 

Cade,  Erasmus,  230. 

Cade,  Felix,  230. 

Cade,  Jane,  230. 

Cade,  Jannet,  230. 

Cade,  John,  230. 

Cade,  Mary,  48G. 

Cade,  Robert,  200,  200,  222,  224, 
235,  230,  355. 

Cade,  R.  E.,  358,  488. 

Cade,  R.  T.,  357. 

Cade,  S.  E.,  48G,  487. 

Cade,  Violet,  230. 

Cades  Church,  487. 

Cades  Post  Office,  520. 

Cades  School,  473. 

Cain,  Eric,  351,  352,  3S4,  300. 
Cain,  J.  P.,  340. 

Cain,  William,  352. 

Calcobb,  James,  352. 

Calder,  John  W.,  400. 

Caldwell,  Samuel,  503. 

Calcot,  James,  156. 

Calcot,  Henry,  15G. 

Caledonians,  171. 


Calhoun,  I.  A.,  513. 

Calhoun,  Mrs.  Ira,  473. 

Calhoun,  James  G.,  224. 

Calhoun,  William  A.,  224. 

Callebuff,  Elizabeth,  15G. 

Galium,  John,  156. 

Calvin,  John,  171. 

Calvinism,  254,  271. 

Calvin  Knox  faction,  172. 
Cambralian,  Bryan,  231. 

Cameron,  Bryant,  200. 

Cameron,  George  B.,  358. 

Cameron,  Henry,  244. 

Cameron,  H.  J.,  347. 

Cameron,  John,  25. 

Cameron,  J.  W,.  347,  358,  408. 
Cameron,  Margaret,  244. 

Cameron,  W.  J.,  381. 

Cameron,  W.  L.,  358. 

Camp  Glover,  384. 

Camp  Branch,  107. 

Camp  Meetings,  310. 

Camp  Ridge  settlement,  529. 
Camlin,  Camlin,  156. 

Camlin,  Etna,  473. 

Camlin,  Elizabeth,  289. 

Camlin,  G.  W.,  473,  515. 

Camlin,  Matthew,  142,  151,  156. 
Camlin,  William,  200,  212,  289,  512. 
Camlin,  W.  O.,  464,  472,  515,  538. 
Camlin,  W.  S.,  361,  463,  468,  487. 
Camp,  William,  21. 

Campbell,  Alexander,  23. 

Campbell,  Archibald,  156,  233. 
Campbell,  Avagbel,  66. 

Campbell,  David,  115,  118. 
Campbell,  Duncan,  115. 

Campbell,  George,  115. 

Campbell,  James,  115,  147,  153,  156, 
200,  208,  216,  221,  218,  219,  231, 
244,  256. 

Campbell,  Mary,  156,  232,  245. 
Campbell,  Priscilla,  24. 

Campbell,  Rebecca,  200. 

Campbell,  Sarah,  17. 

Campbell,  Thomas,  115. 

Campbell,  William,  21,  84,  115,  153, 
231,  232,  244,  3S2,  397. 
Campbell,  W.  II.,  465,  529. 
Campbell,  W.  J.,  311. 

Campbell,  W.  M.,  231. 

Canby,  R.  S.,  439. 

Cannady,  J.  I\,  351. 

Cannon,  455. 

Cantey,  Ann,  23. 

Cantey,  Charles,  118. 

Cantey,  E.  M.,  289. 


558 


INDEX 


Cantey,  Jane,  235. 

Cantey,  John,  115,  118. 

Cantey,  Joseph,  23. 

Cantey,  Joseph  F.,  186. 

Cantey,  Joseph  S.,  487. 

Cantey,  Mary,  23. 

Cantey,  Samuel,  23,  71. 

Cantey,  Thomas  S.,  235. 

Cantey,  William,  81. 

Cantey,  W.  J.  R.,  186,  301. 
Cantley,  Charles,  25,  115. 

Cantley,  E.  G.,  3S1. 

Cantley,  F.  G.,  348. 

Cantley,  John,  156. 

Cantley,  Mary,  222. 

Cantley,  Robert,  222. 

Cantley,  Roger  G.,  226. 

Cantley  School,  473. 

Cantley,  W.  G.,  320,  381,  473. 
Cantzor,  John,  25. 

Capell,  Benjamin,  25. 

Captains  Decline  Promotion,  376. 
Captured  at  Trevillian,  355. 
Capers,  William,  192,  292. 

Capers,  W.  T.,  349. 

Capers  Describes  Camp  Meeting, 
192. 

Carge,  James,  151. 

Carlisle  School,  474. 

Carlisle,  Alexander,  156. 

Carne,  76. 

Carolina,  1. 

Carolina  Divided,  2. 

Carpet  Baggers,  452. 

Carroll,  L.  F.,  486. 

Carraway,  A.,  381. 

Carraway,  E.  351. 

Carraway,  Henry,  358. 

Carraway,  Isaac,  194. 

Carraway,  James,  38,  240. 
Carraway,  J.  F.,  328,  349,  351,  379, 
468,  536. 

Carraway,  Washington,  383. 

Carr,  W.  II.,  515,  519,  520. 

Carson,  Agnes,  79. 

Carter,  Asbury  D.,  354,  384. 

Carter,  George,  235. 

Carter,  George  W.,  354,  384,  554. 
Carter,  H.  W.,  348. 

Carter,  Isaac,  235. 

Carter,  Jesse,  381. 

Carter,  Josiah,  156. 

Carter,  J.  B.,  398,  351. 

Carter,  J.  H.,  384. 

Carter,  J.  M.  T.,  351. 

Carter,  J.  T.,  468. 

Carter,  J.  D.,  463. 


Carter,  J.  W.,  408. 

Carter,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  468. 

Carter,  S.  J.,  348. 

Carter,  William,  156,  200,  311. 
Carter,  W.  E.,  352. 

Carter,  W.  W.,  440. 

Carter,  Zachary,  156. 

Cash,  E.  D.  C.,  3S0. 

Casselman,  J.  D.,  358,  407. 
Casselman,  S.,  465. 

Cattle,  134. 

Caswell,  Elizabeth,  239. 

Caswell,  Joseph,  239. 

Caswell,  John,  239. 

Caswell,  Samuel,  239. 

Cedar  Swamp  Aid  Society,  370. 
Cedar  Swamp  M.  Church,  297. 
Cedar  Creek  School,  473. 
Censure-proof,  298, 

Census,  1790,  154. 

Census,  1920,  539. 

Cetty,  John,  200. 

Chancellorsville,  398. 

Chandler,  Ann,  76. 

Chandler,  A.  W.,  468. 

Chandler,  B.  B.,  463,  465,  475. 
Chandler,  B.  J.,  472,  502. 

Chandler,  Caesar,  356. 

Chandler,  Mrs.  C.  M.,  525. 
Chandler,  Dora  V.,  468. 

Chandler,  Effie,  473. 

Chandler,  Ellen  T.,  473. 

Chandler,  Elizabeth,  76. 

Chandler,  Elvira,  2S9. 

Chandler,  E.  G.,  465,  521,  527. 
Chandler,  George,  25,  115,  118,  200, 
225. 

Chandler,  G.  IT.,  290. 

Chandler,  Isaac,  52,  76,  115. 
Chandler,  Jesse,  115. 

Chandler,  Joseph,  25,  70,  241,  289. 
Chandler,  Joseph  B.,  297,  353,  378, 
3S1,  463. 

Chandler,  J.  F.,  361. 

Chandler,  J.  W.,  465. 

Chandler,  G.  F.,  502. 

Chandler,  Martha,  370. 

Chandler,  Ruth,  472. 

Chandler,  Robert,  361. 

Chandler,  R.  W.,  408. 

Chandler,  Samuel,  76. 

Chandler,  Susannah,  241,  289. 
Chandler,  S.  T.,  383,  384. 

Chandler,  T.  M.,  503. 

Chandler,  T.  S.,  343,  361,  408. 
Chandler,  W.  R.,  474. 
Chamberlain,  R.  H.,  454,  459. 


INDEX 


559 


Chaos,  439. 

Chambey,  William,  142. 

Chapels  of  Ease,  57. 

Charles  II,  1. 

Charleston,  2. 

Chattanooga,  399,  401. 

Cherry,  J.  W.,  350. 

Cheeseborough,  John,  156. 
Cherokees,  6. 

Cherokee  War,  70. 

Chickahominy  River,  382. 
Chickamauga,  398,  401. 

Chicken,  Elizabeth,  93. 

Chicken,  William,  23. 

China,  John,  115. 

China,  J.  R.,  343,  346,  409. 

China,  Mary  J.,  295. 

China,  S.  M.,  343,  346,  398,  416. 
China,  T.  J.,  295,  301,  343,  346,  369, 
3S0,  384,  406,  407. 

China,  W.  A.,  343. 

Christian  Education,  79. 
Christmas,  Jesse,  347,  487. 
Christening  Basin,  187. 
Christianizing  Slaves,  181. 
Christmas,  Jonathan,  23. 
Christmas,  Hesther,  23. 
Christmas,  W.  G.,  409. 

Christmas,  W.  J.,  354. 

Chosewood,  Alexander,  70. 

Chovin,  Alexander,  156. 

Church  Charges,  275. 

Churches  Divide,  339. 

Church  of  England,  5,  44,  272. 
Church  of  Scotland,  17,  45. 
Churches  and  Churchmen,  44. 
Church  Act,  1706,  53. 

Churches  in  1830,  197. 

Church  Members,  490. 

Church  Societies,  532. 

Church  Torn  Down,  174. 

Churches  in  1776,  58. 

Church  sues  Church,  175. 

Citation  from  Church,  274. 

Citadel,  305. 

Cited  for  Valor,  400,  505,  511. 
Circuit  Riders,  190,  292. 

Circuit  Rider’s  Story,  492. 

Civil  Officials,  1863,  397. 

Claffy,  Mayna,  508. 

Clapp,  Elizabeth,  75. 

Clapp,  Mary,  76. 

Clapp,  Sarah,  76. 

Claims  Presented,  142. 

Clarendon  School,  475. 

Clark,  Bartley,  56. 

Clark,  D.  M.,  483. 


Clark,  Henry,  156. 

Clark,  Joseph,  200. 

Clark,  James,  156,  264. 

Clark,  J.  E.,  488,  514. 

Clark,  John  J.,  264. 

Clark,  M.,  530. 

Clark,  Sarah,  200. 

Clark,  Thomas,  115. 

Clarkson’s  Diary,  286. 

Clarkson,  B.  E.,  72,  529. 

Clarkson,  C.  A.,  571. 

Clarkson,  G.  F.,  489. 

Clarkson,  J.  B.,  500. 

Clarkson,  N.  B.,  489,  360. 

Clarkson,  W.  J.,  3S3,  386,  360,  480. 
Clarkson,  W.  N.,  501,  502. 

Clay’s  Farm,  407. 

Clearing  Black  Mingo,  62. 

Clegg,  Lydia,  80. 

Cleland,  John,  69,  151,  153. 

Clock  Town,  528. 

Clubs,  Democratic,  465. 

Clyde,  T.  J.,  488. 

Coachman,  Benjamin,  228. 
Coachman,  Isaac,  228. 

Coachman,  John,  219,  228,  320. 
Coachman,  Joseph,  228. 

Coachman,  Margaret,  228. 

Cobert,  John,  176. 

Cochran,  William,  21,  143. 
Cockfield,  Ann,  200. 

Cockfield,  Blondelle,  472. 
Cocktield,  C.  W.,  349,  383. 
Cockfield,  Ebenezer,  298. 

Cockfield,  James  W.,  358. 

Cockfield,  Josiah,  156,  358. 
Cockfield,  Joseph,  200. 

Cockfield,  J.  C.,  398. 

Cockfield,  J.  H.,  350. 

Cockfield,  J.  A.  II.,  369,  468. 
Cockfield,  Mrs.  M.  E.,  468. 
Cockfield,  R.  L.,  527. 

Cockfield,  S.  W.,  369,  409. 
Cockfield,  Washington,  200,  320. 
Cockfield,  William,  25,  200,  237. 
Cockfield,  W.  II.,  397. 

Cockfield,  W.  J.,  343. 

Coffee  Scarce,  371. 

Coker,  Benjamin,  115. 

Coker,  I.,  3S1,  408. 

Coker,  John,  355. 

Coker,  J.  J.,  358. 

Coker,  J.  M.,  357,  487. 

Coker,  J.  N.,  475. 

Coker,  J.  S.,  347,  357. 

Coker,  J.  W.,  384. 

Coker,  Nathan,  115. 


560 


INDEX 


Coker,  P.  J.,  347. 

Coker,  S.  J.,  35S. 

Coker,  S.  L.,  347. 

Coker,  Thomas,  115. 

Coker,  W.  G.,  487,  488. 

Cold  Harbor,  407. 

Coleman,  George,  228. 

Coleman,  Ikey,  312. 

Coleman,  Jacob,  115,  200,  228. 
Coleman,  Robert,  156. 

Colclough,  Alexander,  361. 

Cole,  J.  A.,  527. 

Coleman,  R.  L.,  500. 

Coleman,  Samuel,  200,  228. 
Coleman,  Savannah,  228. 
Coleman,  T.  J.,  357. 

Coleman,  W.  D.,  399. 

Colin,  James,  357. 

Collette,  Ella,  468. 

Collier,  James,  354. 

Collins,  Alexander,  156. 

Collins,  Frank,  358. 

Collins,  Henry,  358. 

Collins,  John  W.,  358,  407. 
Collins,  Jonah,  25. 

Collins,  R.,  399. 

Collins,  W.,  351,  398. 

Collum,  John,  200. 

“Colonels  of  the  Cross,”  376. 
Colonial  Elections,  213. 

Coltrain,  S.,  382. 

Columbia  Made  Capital,  215. 
Comb,  Annie,  156. 

Commander,  Hannah,  81. 
Commander,  James,  156. 
Commander,  John,  25. 
Commander,  Joseph,  25. 
Commander,  Rachael,  75. 
Commander,  Samuel,  12,  25,  209. 
Commander,  Thomas,  70. 
Commons,  3. 

Committee  on  Court  House,  149. 
Commissioners,  Town,  139. 
Co-operative  Crusader,  547. 
Cooper  School,  475. 

Cooper  Store,  397. 
Cooper-Snowden  Fight,  288. 
Copeland,  Hugh,  151. 

Copeland,  John,  156. 

Copeland,  William,  21. 

Conde,  N.  J.,  343. 

Confederate  War  Results,  434. 
Confession  of  Faith,  293. 
Confessions  of  Sins,  254. 
Confiscation,  447. 

Conflicting  Ideas,  332. 


“Confusion  Worse  Confounded,” 
446. 

Concord  M.  Church,  487. 

Conn,  Mary,  125. 

Connel,  Thomas,  200. 

Connell,  W.  I.,  361. 

Connell,  Abram,  200. 

Connor,  Abraham,  235. 

Connor,  Adam,  144,  151,  156. 
Connor,  Archibald,  143,  144,  150, 
151,  156. 

Connor,  Ann,  228. 

Connor,  John,  200,  21,  228. 
Connor,  Rachael,  243. 

Connor,  Sarah,  22S. 

Conrad,  J.  C.,  350. 

Conscription,  395. 

Constitution  of  1790,  213. 
Constitution  to  Voters,  439. 
Conyers,  109. 

Conyers,  Ann,  23. 

Conyers,  Daniel,  114,  120,  126. 
Conyers,  James,  25,  103,  114,  120. 
Conyers,  John,  23,  208. 

Conyers’  Lake,  120. 

Conyers,  Mary,  185. 

Cooper,  A.  B.,  347,  398,  501. 
Cooper,  Agnes,  84. 

Cooper,  Ben,  512. 

Cooper,  B.  L.,  469. 

Cooper,  Boston,  479. 

Cooper,  D.  E.,  472. 

Cooper,  D.  S.,  487. 

Cooper  Elizabeth,  84. 

Cooper,  F.  C.,  440. 

Cooper,  F.  E.,  354. 

Cooper,  George,  84,  156,  200,  223, 
224,  221. 

Cooper,  G.  B.,  473. 

Cooper,  G.  S.,  446. 

Cooper,  G.  W.,  238,  343. 

Cooper,  Hugh,  487,  497. 

Cooper,  Hugh  M.,  531. 

Cooper,  Mrs.  Hugh  M.,  532. 
Cooper,  Ila,  475. 

Cooper,  James,  84,  156,  200,  209, 

2S2. 

Cooper,  J.  F.,  477,  497,  519,  531. 
Cooper,  J.  J.,  348,  353. 

Cooper,  John,  156,  200,  361,  408. 
Cooper,  Jane,  223. 

Cooper,  J.  B.,  287. 

Cooper,  Jannet,  287. 

Cooper,  J.  P.,  352. 

Cooper,  J.  H.,  527. 

Cooper,  J.  M.,  464. 

Cooper,  Lillie,  179. 


INDEX 


561 


Cooper,  Mrs.  L.  M.,  469. 

Cooper,  Miss  Mutie,  468. 

Cooper,  Mary,  223,  246. 

Cooper,  Martha,  86. 

Cooper,  M.  D.,  473. 

Cooper,  Nancy,  223. 

Cooper,  Paul  A.,  527. 

Cooper,  Robert,  361. 

Cooper,  Robert  M.,  287. 

Cooper,  R.  H.,  487. 

Cooper,  Samuel,  287,  352,  357,  381, 
405,  408. 

Cooper,  S.  G.,  308. 

Cooper,  S.  T.,  397,  440,  455,  468. 
Cooper,  Thomas,  84,  287. 

Cooper,  Mrs.  T.  M.,  515. 

Cooper,  Thermutas,  287. 

Cooper,  William,  21,  23,  49,  57,  200, 
205,  218,  219,  221,  238,  244, 
246,  256,  269,  270,  311,  320, 
348,  463,  464,  468,  470. 
Cooper,  Willie,  475,  515. 

Cooper,  W.  B.,  499. 

Cooper,  W.  A.,  361. 

Cooper,  William  J.,  156,  222,  223, 
243  473. 

Cooper,’ W.  J.  B.,  249,  396. 

Cooper,  W.  R.,  361. 

Cooper’s  Ferry  Road,  208. 

Cook,  Alexander,  408. 

Cook,  Allen,  351. 

Cook,  A.  J.,  400. 

Cook,  Benjamin,  156. 

Cook,  B.  M.,  398. 

Cook,  E.  R.,  347,  416. 

Cook,  E.  W.,  357,  400. 

Cook,  Earle,  503. 

Cook,  G.,  407. 

Cook,  Isaac  B.,  398. 

Cook,  Joseph,  156. 

Cook,  J.  F.,  343. 

Cook,  J.  M.,  468. 

Cook,  J.  R.,  408. 

Cook,  J.  W.,  351,  384,  464. 

Cook,  M.  M.,  405. 

Cook,  May,  475. 

Cook,  T.  J.,  347. 

Cook,  W.  D.,  343,  347,  409. 

Cook,  W.  E.,  521. 

Cook,  William,  153. 

Cook,  West,  115. 

Cook,  William  P.,  358. 

Corbett,  Emma,  226. 

Cordes,  Francis,  23,  199,  200,  228. 
Cordes,  Samuel,  115,  118. 
Corinick,  Ann,  225. 

Cormick,  Elizabeth,  225. 


Cormick,  Jane,  225. 

Cormick,  Patrick,  138,  149,  200, 
225,  250. 

Cornwallis,  100,  112. 

Cornwallis’  March,  100. 

Corinth,  383. 

Corn  meal  and  pickles,  422. 
Cornell,  John,  153. 

Corruption,  Official,  441. 

Coskney,  W.  R.,  487. 

Conscripting  Ministers,  403. 
Cottingham,  Daniel,  115. 
Cottingham,  Dill,  115. 

Cottingham,  T.  J.,  500. 

Cotton,  41,  375,  449. 

Cotton  Cultivation,  249. 

Cotton  Market,  537. 

Cotton  Growers  Ass’n.,  546. 

Cotton  is  King,  344. 

Cotton  Planters,  433. 

Council,  A.  J.,  350,  407. 

Cousar,  John,  115. 

Counts,  J.  C.,  488. 

Court  House  Built,  217. 

Court  House  Burned,  462. 

Court  House  Remodelled,  162. 
Court  Sermons,  217. 

County  Antrim,  27. 

County  Board  of  Education,  472. 
County  Down,  27. 

County  Fair  Ass’n.,  519. 

County  Judge,  464. 

County  Officers,  218. 

County  Orders,  443. 

County  Records,  469,  521. 

Covert,  John,  289. 

Covert,  Laura,  244. 

Covert,  Susannah,  244,  245. 
Covington,  J.  H.,  474. 

Courtney,  S.  B.  W.,  360,  527. 
Coward,  A.  M.,  408. 

Coward,  D.  C.,  351. 

Coward,  D.  E.,  383,  408. 

Coward,  James  A.,  361,  399. 
Coward,  John,  200,  231. 

Coward,  J.  M.,  369. 

Coward,  M.  D.,  351. 

Coward,  Rix  A.,  361,  399. 

Coward,  R.  W.,  362. 

Coward,  Solomon,  236. 

Cowls,  N.  B.,  352. 

Cox,  Frank,  362,  398,  407. 

Cox,  J.  G.,  407. 

Cox,  John  T\,  353,  400. 

Cox,  Robert,  503. 

Cox,  R.  F.,  3S2. 

Cox,  William,  156. 


562 


INDEX 


Cox,  W.  F.,  405. 

Cox,  William  G.,  354. 

Cox,  W.  J.,  407. 

Craven  County,  9. 

Craven  Regiment,  93. 

Crapper,  P.,  357. 

Crapps,  S.  W.,  343,  348,  357. 
Crapps,  William,  156,  246,  343,  407. 
Crawford,  Casiah,  227. 

Crawford,  Colwell,  227. 

Crawford,  George,  70. 

Crawford,  H.  L.,  360. 

Crawford,  James,  21,  23. 

Crawford,  William,  503. 

Crawford,  W.  B.,  483. 

Creesy,  B.  J.,  343. 

Creesy,  P.  C.,  348. 

Cribb,  A.,  3S2. 

Cribb,  C.,  3S2. 

Cribb,  D.  W.,  398,  353. 

Cribb,  E.  A.,  512. 

Cribb,  Elizabeth,  23. 

Cribb,  E.  C.,  472. 

Cribb,  John,  23,  156,  382. 

Cribb,  L.,  3S1. 

Cribb,  R.,  196,  382. 

Cribb,  S.,  3S1. 

Cribb,  T.,  382. 

Crockett,  James,  54,  71. 

Croft,  B.  S.,  361. 

Croft,  G.  S.,  3S2. 

Crop  Failure,  1749,  41. 

Cromer,  L.  F.,  52. 

Cromwell,  Oliver,  32,  36. 

Cromwell,  Hester,  80. 

Crosby,  J.  R.,  381. 

Crosby,  Sarah,  156. 

Crosby,  Elizabeth,  81. 

Crosby,  Martha,  81. 

Crosener,  Alex  PI.,  57. 

Cruelty  to  Slaves,  334. 

Cubstead,  John,  353. 

Cubstead,  J.  E.,  406. 

Cupid,  a  Slave,  259. 

Cumbee,  George,  350. 

Cummings,  David,  156. 

Cummings,  J.  B.,  230,  231. 
Cunningham,  Alexander,  156,  219, 
240. 

Cunningham,  Arthur,  25,  148,  149, 
152,  200. 

Cunningham,  Mrs.  A.  M.,  370. 
Cunningham,  Benjamin,  487. 
Cunningham,  Evelyn,  505. 
Cunningham,  H.  B.,  281,  521. 
Cunningham,  James,  25,  156,  200. 
Cunningham,  J.  S.,  304,  348,  481. 


Cunningham,  John,  115. 
Cunningham,  Mrs.  John,  532. 
Cunningham,  Mary,  156,  200,  370. 
Cunningham,  Mose,  512. 
Cunningham,  Mrs.  S.  D.,  474. 
Cunningham,  Mrs.  Stuart,  532. 
Cunningham,  W.  W.,  361,  362. 
Currency  Depreciates,  404. 

Currency  Scarcity,  436. 

Curtain,  S.  W.,  348. 

Cusack,  H.  D.,  409. 

Cutt,  Bridgett,  34. 

Daggett,  Richard,  357. 

Daggett,  T.  W.,  430. 

Dale,  Thomas,  21. 

Dancing,  178. 

Dancing  Frolics,  274. 

Daniel,  C.  C.,  475. 

Daniel,  C.  W.,  3S3. 

Daniel,  Mrs.  W.  D.,  475. 

Daniel,  Mrs.  Dodd,  532. 

Daniel,  Esther,  259. 

Daniel,  E.  W.,  351. 

Daniel,  James,  57,  157,  201,  230, 
260,  262,  263. 

Daniel,  James  D.,  369,  464,  482. 
Daniel,  John,  115. 

Daniel,  J.  W.,  488. 

Daniel,  Martha,  201. 

Daniel,  Sarah  M.,  259. 

Daniel,  William,  25,  200,  259,  279, 
284,  289. 

Daniel,  W.  W.,  488. 

Danner,  John,  153. 

D.  A.  R.  Chapter,  524. 

Dargan,  Jeremiah,  195. 

Dargan,  Timothy,  528. 

Dargan,  W.  F.,  528. 

Darnall,  R.  L.,  483. 

Darwin,  Lucile,  474. 

David,  James  E.,  328. 

David,  Jannet,  233. 

David,  John,  233,  353. 

David,  Walter,  473. 

Davidson,  Agnes,  79. 

Davidson,  Alexander,  24. 

Davidson,  Elizabeth,  24. 

Davidson  College,  305. 

Davidson,  William,  157. 

Davis,  Abraham,  235. 

Davis,  A.  J.,  353. 

Davis,  George,  70. 

Davis,  George  W.,  463. 

Davis,  Anna,  24. 

Davis,  Isaac  E.,  512. 

Davis,  James,  103,  114,  115,  175, 


INDEX 


563 


406. 

Davis,  James  E.,  353. 

Davis,  J.  P.,  353,  357,  400. 

Davis,  J.  B.,  468. 

Davis,  Jefferson,  350,  411. 

Davis,  John,  24,  115,  353,  406. 
Davis,  John,  W.,  481,  495. 

Davis,  John  G.,  235. 

Davis,  Mary,  157. 

Davis,  J.  T.,  357. 

Davis,  Martha,  234. 

Davis,  Mrs.  M.,  289. 

Davis,  Robert,  115,  157. 

Davis,  Thomas,  70. 

Davis,  Thomas  B.,  353. 

Davis,  Thomas  EL,  352. 

Davis,  T.  P.,  218,  221,  225. 

Davis,  T.  J.  N.,  301. 

Davis,  William,  25. 

Davis,  W.  B.,  382. 

Davis,  William  Henry,  407. 
Davison,  Mary,  157. 

Dawsey,  D.  D.,  244. 

Dawson,  Ervin,  144. 

Dawson,  John,  150,  157. 

Day,  L.  G.,  472,  502. 

Day  of  Fasting,  2S4. 

Day,  John,  157. 

Day  of  Prayer,  411. 

Deery,  S.  J.,  513.  515,  516,  517. 
Deffee,  W.  A.,  405. 

DeHay,  Estelle,  473. 

Deflation,  540,  548. 

Democracy,  438. 

Delegation,  1782,  131. 

Delegation  Provincial  Congress,  92. 
Democratic  Clubs,  454. 

Democracy  Unlimited,  458. 
Democratic  Party,  461. 

DeLoache,  Alma,  472. 

Dennis,  B.  B.,  358. 

Dennis,  D.  I.,  456. 

Dennis,  E.  C.,  460. 

Dennis,  E.  G.,  347. 

Dennis,  Isaiah,  115. 

Dennis,  Littleton,  530. 

Dennis,  L.  J.,  381. 

Dennis,  Mrs.  L.  S.,  532. 

Dennis,  Nelson,  30S. 

Dennis,  S.  R.,  347,  308. 

Dennis,  W.,  406. 

Dennis,  W.  IJ.,  472. 

Denominational  Outlook,  183,  197. 
Dentists,  527. 

Derrick,  C.  C.,  488. 

Derrick,  T.  E.,  488. 

DeSaussure,  W.  G.,  353. 


Deserter  Shot,  304. 

Devers,  Sarah,  280. 

Development,  Township,  137. 

Dial,  John,  115. 

Dial,  Thomas,  21,  70. 

Diary,  Epps’,  41S. 

Dick,  a  Slave,  247,  308. 

Dick,  Elizabeth,  76. 

Dick,  Jane,  76. 

Dick,  James,  66. 

Dick,  James  M.,  230. 

Dick,  Jannet,  76,  242. 

Dick,  Jean,  70. 

Dick,  John,  21,  66,  76,  79,  151,  153, 

200. 

Dick,  J.  S.,  260,  343. 

Dick,  Mary,  76. 

Dick,  Margaret,  76. 

Dick,  Samuel  E.,  233. 

Dick,  Susannah,  76. 

Dick,  Robert,  76,  157. 

Dick,  William,  56,  76,  200,  225. 
Dickerson,  Joseph,  246. 

Dickerson,  L.  R.,  474. 

Dickson,  James,  153. 

Dickson,  John,  157,  200. 

Dickey,  Catherine,  233. 

Dickey,  George,  85,  157,  221. 
Dickey,  James,  26,  S5,  201,  238. 
Dickey,  John,  26,  115,  118,  127,  133, 
141,  143,  145,  157,  170,  180,  201. 
Dickey,  Mary,  26. 

Dickey,  Martha,  238. 

Dickey,  Martha  E.,  233. 

Dickey,  Samuel  E.,  201,  233. 
Dickey,  Sarah,  221. 

Dickey,  Sarah  M.,  233. 

Dickey,  Stuart,  157. 

Dickey,  William,  224,  235. 

Died,  World  War,  512. 

Digman,  Robert,  157. 

Dinkins,  Sarah  T.,  24. 

Dinkins,  William,  24. 

Discussion  with  Sticks,  217. 
Dissenters,  24,  33. 

Division  on  Tariff,  267. 

Dix,  John,  202. 

Dixie  Post  Office,  531. 

Dixon,  Robert,  152. 

Dobbin,  Elizabeth,  11S. 

Dobbin,  James,  224. 

Dobbin,  Jean,  124. 

Dobbin,  Sarah,  223. 

Dobbin,  William,  48,  57,  124,  157, 
170,  201,  22S,  231,  232,  235. 
Dollard,  Caroline  M.,  233. 

Dollard,  Louisa  J.,  237. 


564 


INDEX 


Dollard,  Patrick,  104,  135,  136,  157, 
253. 

Dollard,  William,  201,  221,  230,  242, 
317. 

Donatk,  L.,  348,  440. 

Donegal,  27. 

Donnelly,  E.  J.,  474. 

Donnelly,  James  S.,  238. 

Doty,  A.,  377. 

Doughty,  William,  186. 

Douglass,  A.,  236. 

Douglass,  D.  H.,  512. 

Douglass,  Elizabeth,  238,  290. 
Douglass,  Eleanor,  222,  243. 
Douglass,  James  J.,  235. 

Douglass,  S.  A.,  397. 

Douglass,  Samuel,  201,  205,  157, 
145,  146,  151. 

Douglass,  Sarah,  239,  157. 
Douglass,  Isaac  M.,  239. 

Douglass,  William,  201,  225,  289, 
157,  145,  26. 

Duel  Government,  215,  459. 
DuBose,  A.,  114.,  381,  487. 

DuBose,  Charles,  530. 

DuBose,  C.  W.,  405,  487. 

DuBose,  Elizabeth,  24. 

DuBose,  Hampton,  483. 

DuBose,  Henry,  527. 

DuBose,  John,  70. 

DuBose,  J.  W.,  472,  514. 

DuBose,  Peter,  115. 

DuBose,  R.  M.,  488. 

DuBose,  Stephen,  24. 

DuBose,  S.  C.,  408. 

Dowing,  Ranatus,  157. 

Dowen,  James,  157. 

Downing,  Martha,  201. 

Dove,  L.  C.,  499,  513. 

Doyle,  J.  A.,  500. 

Dozier,  A.  W.,  315,  337,  360. 
Dozier,  Edward  C.,  360. 

Dozier,  Elizabeth,  20. 

Dozier,  John,  24,  196,  205,  210,  211, 
218,  219,  226,  253,  484. 

Dozier,  Leonard,  205,  219,  245,  320. 
Dozier,  N.  W.,  341. 

Dozier,  Peter  C.,  362. 

Drake,  Thomas,  201. 

Draughn,  Hampton,  240. 

Drew,  Archibald,  79. 

Drew,  David,  76. 

Drew,  Margaret,  76,  77,  79. 

Drew,  Mary,  76. 

Drew,  Nathaniel,  21,  47,  62,  76,  77, 
142. 

Drew,  Samuel,  76,  77. 


Dreifus,  S.,  348,  353. 

Driggers,  Jobe,  246. 

DuBush,  John,  70. 

Dufford,  Neill,  503. 

Duke,  Adelaide,  295. 

Duke,  Benjamin,  57,  115,  118,  127, 

201. 

Duke,  B.  F.,  347,  407. 

Duke,  David,  295,  345. 

Duke,  David  M.,  240,  248,  440. 
Duke,  F.  E.,  483. 

Duke,  Isabella,  295. 

Duke,  J.  E.,  475. 

Duke,  Jannet  P.,  241. 

Duke,  Joseph  C.,  408. 

Duke,  Mrs.  J.  M.,  474. 

Duke,  Mary  E.,  240. 

Duke,  Mary  F.,  240. 

Duke,  M.  F.,  488. 

Duke,  Mary  H.,  289. 

Duke,  P.  F.,  357. 

Duke,  R.  E.,  347,  407. 

Duke,  Sarah,  240. 

Duke,  Thomas,  240. 

Duke,  T.  F.,  348. 

Duke,  T.  J.,  347.  348. 

Duke,  W.  D.,  343,  346,  406. 

Duke,  Thomas,  183. 

Duke,  William,  115,  225,  398,  406. 
Duncan,  W.  B.,  469. 

Dunlap,  James  E.,  306,  362,  481, 
4S2, 

Dunlap’s  Praying,  306. 

Dunn,  Jannet,  79. 

Dunn,  Sarah,  84. 

Dunn,  Sylvester,  84. 

Durant,  Benjamin,  147,  157,  201, 
225. 

Durant,  Daniel,  480. 

Lurant,  George,  152,  157. 

Durant,  H.  H.,  292. 

Durant,  John,  225. 

Durant,  John  H.,  233. 

Durant,  Letitia  S.,  233. 

Durant,  Levi,  253. 

Durant,  Martha  M.,  225. 

Durant,  Mary,  225. 

Durant,  Paul,  157. 

Durant,  Ruth,  224. 

DuPre,  James,  157. 

DuPre,  Josiah,  53,  208. 

DuPre,  Margaret,  200. 

DuPre,  Thomas,  200. 

Durong,  Joseph,  56. 

Drainage,  529. 

Drainage  Needed,  535. 

Draining  Swamps,  545. 


INDEX 


565 


Drainage  Work,  518. 

Dredging  Black  River,  212. 

Dress  Parade,  287. 

Drunk  with  Power,  452. 

Drury’s  Bluff,  406,  407. 

Dwellings,  Colonial,  90. 

Dye,  John,  115,  118. 

Dye,  J.  C.,  288. 

Dye,  S.,  384. 

Dyestuffs  Scarce,  371. 

Eaddy,  A.  G.,  527. 

Eaddy,  A.  J.,  354. 

Eaddy,  Andrew  D.,  115.,  118,  127. 
Eaddy,  Daniel  S.,  217. 

Eaddy,  Edward  D.,  235,  487. 
Eaddy,  Elizabeth,  246,  487. 

Eaddy,  Frances,  246. 

Eaddy,  G.  S.,  383. 

Eaddy,  Henry,  115,  235. 

Eaddy,  H.  E.,  463,  500. 

Eaddy,  James,  157,  201,  217,  235, 
487. 

Eaddy,  James  A.,  246. 

Eaddy,  James  D.,  527. 

Eaddy,  J.  M.,  469,  500. 

Eaddy,  Jenny,  201,  246. 

Eaddy,  John  F.,  398. 

Eaddy,  John,  235. 

Eaddy,  John  T.,  354,  465. 

Eaddy,  J.  M.  G.,  502. 

Eaddy,  Mary,  235. 

Eaddy,  Margaret  D.,  246. 

Eaddy,  Martin,  468. 

Eaddy,  O.  R.,  465. 

Eaddy,  P.  O.,  381. 

Eaddy,  R.  J.,  381,  397. 

Eaddy,  Samuel,  201,  217,  246. 
Eaddy,  S.  C.,  545. 

Eaddy,  S.  J.,  246. 

Eaddy,  S.  O.,  464. 

Eaddy,  Tristam,  354. 

Eaddy,  Mrs.  Wilbur,  532. 

Eaddy,  W.  S.,  354,  383. 

Earle’s  School,  473. 

Early,  Andrew,  144,  151,  157. 

Early,  Barbara,  201. 

Eason,  F.  W.,  486. 

Easterling,  John  R.,  196. 

Ebenezer  Church,  190,  197. 
Economic  Conditions,  38,  404. 
Economic  and  Social  Life,  247. 
Edenton  Tea  Party,  95. 

Edict  of  Nantes,  25. 

Education,  Colonial,  91. 
Education,  Desire,  479. 

Education,  Public,  467. 


Education  Society,  208. 

Edwards,  Amanda,  514. 

Edwards,  James,  177. 

Edwards,  Joshua,  195. 

Edwards,  J.  W.,  357. 

Edwards,  Thomas,  328. 

Edwards,  Simon,  157. 

Effingham  Mills  Bridge,  209. 
Effingham  Road,  207. 

Elders  Resign,  278. 

Eldridge,  Jane,  69. 

Elections,  465. 

Elections  after  Revolution,  213. 
Election,  Negro,  440. 

Election  on  Secession,  336. 

Elim  M.  Church,  488. 

Elliott,  Miss  L.  A.,  468. 

Elliott,  M.  S.,  377. 

Ellis,  E.  S.,  347,  398,  407,  409. 

Ellis,  G.  L.,  398,  408. 

Ellis,  Jesse  D.,  362,  409. 

Ellis,  J.  J.,  361. 

Elmira  Prison,  415. 

Elon  Aid  Society,  396. 

Elon  Church,  301. 

Elwell,  A.  F.,  382. 

Elwell,  J.  T.,  382. 

Elwell,  W.  H.,  488. 

Emancipation  Proclamation,  434. 
Emanuel,  W.  P.,  355. 

Empire,  Invisible,  451. 

Enfield  Rifles,  399. 

English  at  Black  Mingo,  33. 
Entrain,  a  Slave,  262, 

Episcopal  Church,  272. 

Epps,  A.  L.,  503. 

Epps,  Annie  M.,  472. 

Epps,  Carl,  527. 

Epps,  Charles  E.,  503. 

Epps,  Daniel,  25,  185,  201,  230,  382, 
238. 

Epps,  Daniel  D.,  233. 

Epps,  David,  238,  311,  343,  369. 
Epps,  D.  J.,  481,  533,  538. 

Epps,  E.  C.,  463,  487,  496,  497,  498, 
499,  501,  513,  516,  521,  547. 
Epps,  Edward,  238. 

Epps,  Edwin,  490. 

Epps,  E.  F.,  483. 

Epps,  Ernest,  489. 

Epps,  G.  O.,  516. 

Epps,  Isaac,  468. 

Epps,  James,  23S,  360,  417. 

Epps,  J.  H.,  347. 

Epps,  Mrs.  J.  IJ.,  532. 

Epps,  J.  J.,  474. 

Epps,  John,  238. 


566 


INDEX 


Epps,  J.  P.,  361,  468. 

Epps,  J.  S.,  474. 

Epps,  J.  B.,  357. 

Epps,  Leila,  480. 

Epps,  Martha,  238. 

Epps,  Mary  C.,  477. 

Epps,  Miss  Mollie,  468. 

Epps,  Ossie,  514. 

Epps,  Peter,  238. 

Epps,  Robert,  238,  302,  405,  465. 
Epps,  R.  D.,  527. 

Epps,  T.  O.,  470,  516. 

Epps,  Van.,  527. 

Epps,  William,  362,  382,  418. 

Epps,  W.  B.,  361. 

Epps,  W.  J.,  474. 

Erckmann,  Agnes,  472. 

Ervin,  Mrs.  D.  M.,  532. 

Ervin,  E.  E.,  481. 

Ervin,  Elizabeth,  110,  157. 

Ervin,  H.  J.,  407. 

Ervin,  Hugh,  57,  70,  110,  114,  119, 
157. 

Ervin,  James,  115. 

Ervin,  James  R.,  110. 

Ervin,  Jane,  170. 

Ervin,  John,  57,  66,  114,  119,  157. 
Ervin,  John  M.,  183,  184,  197,  272, 
274,  280. 

Ervin,  Miss  L.  N.,  468. 

Ervin,  Margaret,  119. 

Ervin,  Marian,  366. 

Ervin,  Mary,  76. 

Ervin,  Rebecca,  126. 

Ervin,  Robert,  10,  21,  45,  142,  147, 
157,  201. 

Ervin,  Samuel,  70,  119. 

Ervin,  Miss  S.  M.,  468. 

Ervin,  W.  F.,  440. 

Ervin,  William,  227. 

Etheridge,  T.  J.,  361. 

Evans,  A.  LI.,  351. 

Evans,  Benjamin  R.,  358. 

Evans,  Mrs.  D.  E.,  532. 

Evans,  Frances,  157. 

Evans,  J.  E.,  351,  358. 

Evans,  John,  23,  460. 

Evans,  J.  J.,  347. 

Evans,  J.  S.,  538. 

Evans,  S.  W.,  358. 

Evans,  Rebecca,  23. 

Evans,  Roberta,  475. 

Evans,  W.  F.,  474. 

Everett,  J.  C.,  465,  515. 

Eveleigh’s  Letter,  30. 
Excommunication,  274. 

Exemption  Board,  504. 


Exhorters,  480. 

Extorting  of  Promise,  277. 

Ezell,  A.  W.,  343. 

Fair  Oaks,  382. 

Fair  Field,  172. 

Families,  Williamsburg,  21. 

Fairey,  F.  W.,  486,  497,  515,  525, 
528. 

Fairey,  L.  H.,  407. 

Fairy,  W.  A.,  486,  488. 

Faith  in  Cotton,  433. 

Falcon,  Peter,  157. 

Farm  Products,  542. 

Farmers  Bank,  501. 

Farris,  J.  E.,  416. 

Farrington,  Thomas,  69,  143. 
Fathers  in  Israel,  363. 

Fenegan,  H.  J.,  500. 

Fenters,  Daniel,  309. 

Fenters,  D.  F.,  350,  384. 

Fenters,  Gilkee,  350. 

Fenters,  J.  C.,  350,  3S4. 

Fenters,  J.  J.,  350,  384. 

Fenters,  L.  F.,  350. 

Fenters,  L.  W.,  350. 

Fenters,  S.  W.,  384. 

Fenters,  W.  D.,  350. 

Ferdon,  C.  B.,  503. 

Ferdon,  James,  25,  70. 

Ferdon,  Joanna,  245. 

Ferdon,  John,  360,  413. 

Ferdon,  John  B.,  503. 

Ferdon,  John  P.,  245. 

Ferdon,  Joseph  IL,  503. 

Ferdon,  Richard  J.,  503. 

Ferdon,  William,  245. 

Ferdon,  William  B.,  384. 

Feagan,  J.  A.,  343,  348,  406,  407, 
530. 

Feagan,  R.  E.,  347. 

Federal  Law,  315. 

Felder,  J.  II.,  472. 

Felder,  Mrs.  John  L.,  186. 

Felder  Mattie,  472. 

Felps,  Samuel,  158. 

Felps,  William,  201. 

Ferguson,  Ella,  473. 

Ferguson,  Hugh,  115. 

Ferguson,  James,  25. 

Ferguson,  John,  115. 

Ferguson,  Lou  A.,  473. 

Ferguson,  Mary,  81. 

Ferguson,  Moses,  115. 

Ferguson,  Thomas,  115,  118,  127. 
Ferrell,  B.  F.,  354,  384. 

Ferrell,  Emmie,  515. 

Ferrell,  H.  D.,  465,  498,  501. 


INDEX 


567 


Ferrell,  J.  A.,  468. 

Ferrell,  J.  L.,  348,  474. 

Ferrell,  J.  W.,  404. 

Ferrell,  Mary,  201,  239. 

Ferrell,  Mellie,  515. 

Ferrell,  R.  G.,  1S3,  184,  196,  218, 
238,  289,  311,  397,  440. 
Ferrell,  William,  239. 

Ferrell,  W.  J.,  343,  361,  382. 

Ferry,  George  W.,  353. 

Fertilizer  Introduced,  535. 

Fever  Epidemics,  320. 

Fiddlers,  308. 

Fillyaw,  J.  B.,  351. 

Fillyaw,  J.  J.,  400. 

Filth,  391. 

“Filthiest  Place,”  388. 

Fincke,  J.  A.,  25,  252. 

Finkley,  Charles,  157. 

Finkley,  G.  C.,  352. 

Finkley,  John,  157. 

Finkley,  R.,  352. 

Finkley,  Thomas,  157. 

Finkley,  W.  B.,  352. 

Finley  Bay,  89. 

Finley,  Mary  Ann,  78. 

Finley,  Francis,  21,  153. 

Finley,  Robert,  21,  59,  150,  179. 
“First  among  Equals,”  455. 

First  Court  House,  217. 

First  Court  Trial,  217. 

Fisher,  Fort,  413. 

Fisher,  James,  21,  69,  143,  150. 
Fishing  on  Sunday,  264. 

Fist  Cuff  Fights,  269. 

Fitch,  Duncan,  413. 

Fitch,  R.  B.,  405. 

Fitch,  W.  A.,  473. 

Fitch,  W.  D.,  350,  360. 

Flagler,  Addie,  370. 

Flagler,  Andrew  P.,  354,  384,  400. 
Flagler,  A.  W.,  361,  382,  3S3. 
Flagler,  Mrs.  C.  R.,  370. 

Flagler,  Margaret  G.,  81,  251. 
Flagler,  Mary,  289,  292. 

Flagler,  Mary  M.,  236,  237. 
Flagler,  R.  A.,  301,  362,  366,  406, 
408. 

Flagler,  Rosa,  370. 

Flagler,  S.  M.,  361,  408,  409. 
Flagler,  William,  81,  147,  157,  201, 
205,  219,  228,  251,  312. 
Flagler,  William  G.,  219,  251,  289, 
320. 

Flax  Culture,  41. 

Fleming,  Agnes,  84. 

Fleming,  Ann,  158,  230. 


Fleming,  Charlotte,  289. 

Fleming,  Elizabeth,  11,  75,  77,  84, 
226,  230,  237. 

Fleming,  Hannah,  225. 

Fleming,  Isabella,  11,  77. 

Fleming,  J.  B.,  357. 

Fleming,  Jannet,  11,  77. 

Fleming,  James,  11,  77,  84,  115,  140, 
141,  143,  145,  147,  152,  153, 
201,  226,  230. 

Fleming,  J.  H.,  290. 

Fleming,  John,  11,  21,  45,  46,  66, 
77,  84,  115,  143,  145,  158,  201, 
230. 

Fleming,  Mary,  179,  180. 

Fleming,  Penelope,  11. 

Fleming,  Pinckney,  230. 

Fleming,  P.  B.,  80. 

Fleming,  Samuel,  185. 

Fleming,  T.  B.,  343,  346,  357,  384. 
Fleming,  W.  E.,  347,  357. 

Fleming,  William,  11,  77,  115. 

Flinn,  J.  W.,  4S3. 

Flowers,  A.  E.,  501. 

Flowers,  Coker,  194,  352. 

Flowers,  E.  A.,  351,  384,  400. 

Flowers,  Harmon,  201. 

Flowers,  J.  B.,  384,  400. 

Flowers,  J.  H.,  352. 

Flowers,  J.  J.,  357. 

Flowers,  R.  C.,  473. 

Flowers,  R.  N.,  351. 

Flowers,  W.  J.,  473. 

Floyd,  F.  W.,  348. 

Floyd,  G.  S.,  347. 

Floyd,  H.  C.,  382. 

Floyd,  James,  405. 

Floyd,  J.  D.,  475. 

Floyd,  Jesse,  194,  399. 

Floyd,  J.  J.,  405. 

Floyd,  John,  398. 

Floyd,  J.  P.,  358. 

Floyd,  L.  B.,  3S4. 

Floyd,  L.  D.,  351,  400. 

Floyd,  Noah,  194. 

Floyd,  Richard,  3S6. 

Floyd,  Susannah,  3S6. 

Floyd,  William,  386. 

Fluitt,  Eleanor,  295. 

Fluitt,  I.,  152. 

Fluitt,  J.  II.,  357. 

Fluitt,  J.  N.,  361. 

Fluitt,  Margaret,  295. 

Fluitt,  Mary,  244. 

Fluitt,  R.  W.,  295. 

Fluitt,  Samuel,  149,  150,  205,  228, 
237,  244,  250,  256,  289,  312. 


568 


INDEX 


Fluitt,  W.  N.,  344. 

Fluitt,  W.  W.,  357. 

Flynn,  Andrew,  181. 

Folly,  James,  201,  240. 

Folly,  Margaret,  240. 

Folly,  Mary,  201. 

Footman,  H.  E.,  347,  348. 

Footman,  J.  M.,  343,  346. 

Footman,  R.  M.,  361,  362,  382,  413. 
Footman,  W.  C.,  524. 

Forbes,  I.  W.,  382. 

Ford,  Elizabeth,  119. 

Ford,  John,  115. 

Ford,  Samuel,  70. 

Ford,  Stephen,  158,  247,  249. 
Fordyee,  John,  45,  54,  79. 

Fordyce,  Mary,  79. 

Forrest,  Thomas,  151. 

Forrester,  Anthony,  158. 

Fort  Finger,  380. 

Fort  Sumter,  3S3. 

Fort  Sumter,  Falls,  345. 

Fort  Wagner,  400. 

Fort,  John,  232. 

Founding  of  Indiantown,  50. 
Fourth  of  July,  364. 

Fowler,  Elizabeth,  81,  83. 

Fowler,  Jane,  81,  83,  252. 

Fowler,  Joanna,  83. 

Fowler,  J.  T.,  488. 

Fowler,  Martha,  83. 

Fowler  Post  Office,  531. 

Fowler,  Richard,  83. 

Fowler,  Sarah,  83. 

Fowler  School,  473. 

Foxworth,  C.  D.,  352,  399. 
Foxworth,  John,  532. 

Foxworth,  Thomas,  158. 

Foxworth,  W.  H.,  473. 

Francis,  Richard,  157. 

Franklin,  Battle,  408. 

Franklin,  Benjamin,  252. 

Fraser,  Frances,  226,  227. 

Fraser,  Hugh,  226,  227. 

Fraser,  Peter,  226. 

Fraser,  Robert,  115. 

Fraser,  William,  25,  115,  158. 
Fredricksburg,  383. 

Free  Negroes,  a  Nuisance,  317. 
Freeman,  James,  157. 

Freeman,  J.  B.,  350,  384. 

Freeman,  G.,  382. 

Free  Schools,  248,  257,  467. 

Free  Will  Baptists,  194,  488. 
Frost,  F.  H.,  440,  442. 

Frost,  John,  244. 

Fryer,  Dure,  158. 


Fryer,  Joel,  157. 

Frierson,  Absolom,  115,  118. 
Frierson,  Aaron,  21,  70,  77. 
Frierson,  Ben,  503. 

Frierson,  Daniel,  184,  198,  233,  238, 
241,  289,  290. 

Frierson,  David,  179,  516. 

Frierson,  D.  P„  472,  513. 

Frierson,  Elias,  179. 

Frierson,  E.  O.,  302,  363. 

Frierson,  George,  115,  179,  241. 
Frierson  Graveyard,  130. 

Frierson,  Hattie,  479. 

Frierson,  Henry,  289. 

Frierson,  Hester,  238. 

Frierson,  James,  77,  115,  153,  241, 
233. 

Frierson,  Jane,  289. 

Frierson,  John,  21,  23,  77,  103,  158, 
179,  201,  343,  530,  532,  114. 
Frierson,  John  J.,  84. 

Frierson,  Joshua,  115,  179,  180,  241. 
Frierson,  J.  S.,  474. 

Frierson,  J.  T.,  475. 

Frierson,  Margaret,  179,  180,  402. 
Frierson,  Mary,  77,  84,  85,  88. 
Frierson,  Moses,  77,  179,  180. 
Frierson,  Philip,  114. 

Frierson,  Robert,  84,  103,  115,  140, 
145,  146,  148,  158,  179,  180, 
181,  201,  208,  212,  221,  225, 
233,  234,  238,  245. 

Frierson,  Robert  P.,  236. 

Frierson,  Samuel,  158,  179,  180, 
181,  238,  241. 

Frierson,  Sarah,  23,  85,  236,  402. 
Frierson,  Thomas,  45,  85,  88,  143, 
152. 

Frierson,  T.  E.,  525. 

Frierson  Trial,  291. 

Frierson,  William,  20,  21,  45,  62, 
71,  84,  85,  97,  114,  115,  135, 
136,  139,  141,  143,  145,  146, 
152,  158,  179,  180,  201,  207, 
212,  219,  222,  238,  241,  242. 
Frierson,  William  J.,  480. 
Fullwood’s  Company,  120. 

Full  wood,  John,  201. 

Fullwood,  Robert,  143,  144,  150, 
151. 

Fullwood,  William,  115. 
Fundamental  Constitution,  1. 
Funderburk,  J.  R.,  486. 

Funk,  Loraine,  511. 

Funk,  W.  R.,  462,  485. 

Furman  College,  305. 

Furman,  Richard,  195. 


INDEX 


569 


Futhy.,  Elizabeth,  25. 

Futhy,  Francis,  25,  56. 

Futhy,  Hardy,  23. 

Futhy,  Henry,  158. 

Futhy,  John,  57,  158. 

Fulmore,  James,  239. 

Fulmore,  J.  H.,  301,  382. 

Fulmore,  J.  R.,  311. 

Fulmore,  J.  S.,  409,  479. 

Fulmore,  Richard,  301,  527. 
Fulmore,  T.  P.,  530. 

Fulmore,  Z,  R.,  361,  463. 

Fulton,  Agnes,  525. 

Fulton,  D.  M.,  4S9. 

Fulton,  David,  21,  77,  479. 

Fulton,  D.  B.,  357,  413. 

Fulton,  D.  P.,  343. 

Fulton,  Eliza,  289. 

Fulton,  George  M.,  226. 

Fulton,  James  E.,  198,  289,  397, 
530. 

Fulton,  Jean,  77. 

Fulton,  John,  146,  147,  158,  180, 
201,  207,  219,  230. 

Fulton,  J.  M.,  2S0,  282,  289,  357, 
524,  532. 

Fulton,  Margaret,  235. 

Fulton,  Mary,  77,  295. 

Fulton,  Paul,  77,  118,  177,  180. 
Fulton,  Rebecca,  77. 

Fulton,  R.  J.,  527. 

Fulton,  Robert  W.,  269,  381. 
Fulton,  Samuel,  48,  77,  226,  489, 
516. 

Fulton,  Samuel  E.,  181,  183,  201, 
229,  234,  295. 

Fulton,  Mrs.  T.,  515. 

Fulton,  Thomas  M.,  295,  353,  384. 
Fulton,  V.  T.,  289. 

Fulton,  Walter,  512. 

Fulton,  W.  D.,  361,  381,  515. 
Fulton,  W.  O.,  514. 

Gadsden,  Christopher,  159. 
Gaillard,  Theodore,  62. 

Gaillard,  Thomas,  92. 

Gaines  Mill,  382. 

Gallinippers,  189. 

Galloway,  Virginia,  472. 

Gamble,  A.  M.,  361,  362,  382,  407. 
Gamble,  Catherine,  239. 

Gamble,  George,  146,  153,  201,  353. 
Gamble,  Hugh,  115,  118. 

Gamble,  H.  D.,  353,  383. 

Gamble,  Henry  S.,  464. 

Gamble,  I.  K.,  407. 

Gamble,  Ivory,  512. 


Gamble,  James,  21,  33,  66,  115,  142, 
201,  225,  240,  244. 

Gamble,  J.  B.,  485,  538. 

Gamble,  J.  K.,  347. 

Gamble,  J.  J.,  361,  3S2. 

Gamble,  Mrs.  J.  P.,  515. 

Gamble,  John,  103,  115,  118,  159, 
201,  230,  234,  245,  465. 
Gamble,  J.  P.,  360,  440,  498,  501, 
502,  503,  511. 

Gamble,  J.  W.,  343,  352,  462. 
Gamble,  Mary,  242. 

Gamble’s  Muster  Feld,  208. 

Gamble,  R.  D.,  538. 

Gamble,  R.  K.,  347,  357. 

Gamble,  R.  R.,  245. 

Gamble,  Samuel,  229. 

Gamble,  Sarah,  229,  233. 

Gamble,  Stephen,  115. 

Gamble,  S.  W.,  463. 

Gamble,  T.  D.,  474. 

Gamble,  Robert,  103,  115,  145,  151, 

158,  159,  225,  348,  3S2. 
Gamble,  William,  57,  114,  142,  151, 

159,  201,  229. 

Gamble,  W.  G.,  269,  360,  383,  397, 
413,  503,  343,  509,  527. 

Gamble,  Mrs.  W.  G.,  514,  524. 
Gamble,  W.  J.,  238,  357,  400. 
Game,  William,  409. 

Game  Abundant,  40. 

Gamewell,  John,  292. 

Gano,  John,  195. 

Gantt,  Myrtis,  473. 

Gapway  Road,  209. 

Gardner,  A.  F.,  348,  380,  381. 
Gardner,  J.  M.,  362,  382. 

Gardner,  John,  158. 

Gardner,  Mrs.  M.,  370. 

Garland,  Mary  A.,  231. 

Garner,  H.  S.,  348. 

Garner,  John,  409. 

Garner,  Samuel,  115. 

Garrison,  John,  70. 

Gaskin,  A.  J.,  358. 

Gaskin,  Ezekial,  158. 

Gaskin,  James,  159. 

Gaskin,  Samuel,  237. 

Gaskin,  Sarah,  158. 

Gaskin,  Vincent..  159. 

Gaskins,  A.  M.,  398,  406. 

Gaskins,  Charles  A.,  354. 

Gaskins,  E.  B.,  354. 

Gaskins,  E.  T.,  501. 

Gaskins,  E.  V.,  398. 

Gaskins,  IJ.  G.,  397,  405. 

Gaskins,  J.  J.,  354. 


570  INDEX 


Gaskins,  J.  T.,  474,  482. 

Gaskins,  Mrs.  S.  G.,  482. 

Gaskins,  T.  J.,  384. 

Gasque,  Aaron,  150,  210. 

Gasque,  Loveless,  210,  211. 
Gasque,  Minna,  473. 

Gasque,  Nathan,  210. 

Gasque,  S.  S.,  251. 

Gause,  Benjamin,  92. 

Gause,  W.  M.,  351. 

Geddings,  Iva.,  472. 

George  II,  2. 

George  III,  123. 

George’s  Feld,  89,  129. 

George,  Jesse,  115. 

George,  Richard,  115,  127. 

George,  Robert,  245. 

George,  William,  115. 

German,  Edward,  71. 

Gettysburg,  398. 

Gewinner,  C.,  440. 

Ghouls,  432,  452. 

Gibbons,  Michael,  159. 

Gibbons,  T.  H.,  399. 

Gibson,  Alexander,  159. 

Gibson,  Daniel,  158. 

Gibson,  Ebenezer,  142,  144,  151, 
159,  201,  205,  212,  221,  222, 
223,  231. 

Gibson,  Elander,  223. 

Gibson,  Elisha,  151. 

Gibson,  Francis,  222,  231. 

Gibson,  George,  159,  223,  246. 
Gibson,  James,  115,  118,  159,  201, 
223,  224,  229,  244. 

Gibson,  John,  158,  159,  201,  223. 
Gibson,  Martha,  244. 

Gibson,  R.  H.,  349. 

Gibson,  Robert,  62,  115,  118. 

Gibson,  Roger,  21,  143,  153. 
Gibson,  Sarah,  236. 

Gibson,  Susan,  230. 

Gibson,  Thomas,  159,  222,  223. 
Gibson,  William,  222,  223. 
Gilbraith,  James,  146,  152,  159. 
Giles,  Abraham,  25. 

Giles,  Hugh,  205. 

Giles,  R.  B.,  399. 

Gilland,  Henry,  512. 

Gilland,  H.  G.,  481,  482. 

Gilland,  Jane,  477. 

Gilland,  J.  D.,  528. 

Gilland,  J.  R.,  363,  481. 

Gilland,  L.  W.,  472,  481,  499,  504, 
513,  516,  525,  527. 

Gilland,  Mrs.  L.  W.,  514,  515,  516. 
Gilland,  T.  M.,  362,  430,  446,  449, 


454,  463,  467,  525,  527. 
Gillespie,  Andrew,  115. 

Gillespie,  Daniel,  201,  229. 
Gillespie,  John,  159. 

Gilley,  John,  158. 

Gilles,  Major,  127. 

Ginn,  Shadraek,  158. 

Girrard,  Gabriel,  21. 

Gist,  George,  347. 

Gist,  G.  G.,  354. 

Gist,  J.  G.,  398. 

Gladden,  Mary,  153. 

Glass,  Alex,  227,  228,  232. 

Glass,  Elizabeth,  232. 

Glass,  J.  A.,  159. 

Glass,  Robert,  360. 

Glassen,  D.  W.,  350. 

Glebe  Lands,  44,  184. 

Glenn,  John,  201. 

Glenn,  Louis,  201. 

Gloom,  427. 

Glover,  Moses,  201,  205. 

Goddard,  Francis,  21,  75,  142,  143, 
150. 

Goddard,  Thomas,  57. 

Goddard,  William,  75,  158,  247,  248. 
Godfrey,  John,  25. 

Godwin,  D.  B.,  351. 

Godwin,  G.  W.,  474. 

Godwin,  H.  E.,  358. 

Godwin,  J.  A.,  358. 

Godwin,  J.  B.,  350,  384. 

Godwin,  J.  J.,  358,  407. 

Godwin,  J.  M.,  358. 

Godwin,  Robert,  413. 

Godwin,  S.  C.,  35S. 

Godwin,  S.  F.  R.,  358,  383. 
Godwin,  William,  115. 

Godwin,  W.  J.,  397. 

Godwin,  W.  O.,  464,  528. 

Godwin,  W.  R.,  360. 

Going,  Bathiah,  158. 

Goode,  C.  B.,  3S3. 

Goode,  John,  201. 

Goodwin,  Able,  158. 

Gordon,  Abraham,  153. 

Gordon,  A.  B.,  352. 

Gordon,  A.  M.,  487. 

Gordon,  B.  E.,  236. 

Gordon,  Catherine,  243. 

Gordon.  Charles  F.,  25. 

Gordon,  C.  H.,  354. 

Gordon,  David,  25,  223,  250. 
Gordon,  D.  E.,  355,  357,  402,  418. 
Gordon,  D.  W.,  472. 

Gordon,  Elizabeth,  77,  85,  201. 
Gordon,  Henry,  409. 


INDEX 


571 


Gordon,  J.  A.,  200. 

Gordon,  J.  D.,  360. 

Gordon,  John,  77,  85,  115,  118, 
158,  150,  201,  211,  240. 

Gordon,  J.  J.,  352. 

Gordon,  Mrs.  J.  A.,  370. 

Gordon,  J.  M.,  381. 

Gordon,  J.  W.,  357,  406. 

Gordon,  Jack,  469. 

Gordon,  Jean,  85. 

Gordon,  James,  70,  77,  114,  115. 
Gordon,  J.  W.,  402. 

Gordon,  Margaret,  77,  81,  85,  112. 
Gordon,  Moses,  77,  85,  115,  118,  140, 
Gordon,  Mary,  77,  85. 

Gordon,  Rodger,  10,  13,  21,  30,  45, 
66,  70,  71,  77,  87,  114,  122,  143, 
220,  247,  524. 

Gordon,  Sarah,  77,  85. 

Gordon,  Sarah  A.,  402. 

Gordon,  Sarah  M.,  402. 

Gordon,  Samuel,  201. 

Gordon,  S.  B.,  360,  382,  472. 
Gordon,  William,  25,  81,  112,  114, 
122. 

Gordon,  W.  B.,  352,  379,  398,  402, 
406,  408. 

Gordon,  Rebecca  E.,  281. 

Gore,  J.,  405. 

Gorman,  Catherine,  158. 

Gotea,  Eleanor,  232. 

Gotea,  Elender,  230. 

Gotea,  Elizabeth,  222,  230,  241,  242. 
Gotea,  George  C.,  222. 

Gotea,  James,  150. 

Gotea,  Jane,  223. 

Gotea,  John,  21,  201,  211,  218,  222, 
223,  230,  237,  246. 

Gotea,  Sarah,  264. 

Gouge,  John,  150. 

Gourdin,  Elisha,  78. 

Gourdin,  Esther,  78. 

Gourdin,  Isaac,  78,  84. 

Gourdin,  J.  G.  K.,  363. 

Gourdin,  Peter,  25,  77,  84,  118,  269, 
270. 

Gourdin,  P.  G.,  240,  242,  312,  481, 
408,  513,  520,  545,  546. 
Gourdin,  It.  L.,  210. 

Gourdin,  Robert,  350,  527. 

Gourdin,  Robert  M.,  340. 

Gourdin,  Samuel,  78,  84. 

Gourdin,  Susan,  242, 

Gourdin,  Theodore,  25.  33.  78,  84, 
118,  140,  150,  150,  175,  180, 
100,  201,  207,  208,  200,  216, 
247,  248. 


Gourdin,  T.  B.,  463,  469. 

Gourley,  Joseph,  158. 

Government  and  Officials,  213. 
Gowdy,  Dess,  472. 

Gowdy,  Francis,  240,  240. 

Gowdy,  James,  144,  151,  201. 
Gowdy,  James  M.,  221,  222,  231, 
234. 

Gowdy,  Mary,  221,  222. 

Grady,  Henry  W.,  00. 

Graham,  Aaron,  208. 

Graham,  A.  F.,  231,  243,  268,  290. 
Graham,  Adeline,  205. 

Graham,  A.  J.,  243. 

Graham,  Arthur,  503. 

Graham,  A.  W.  J.,  250. 

Graham,  B.  T.,  230. 

Graham,  Brown,  530. 

Graham,  Charles  N.,  243. 

Graham,  C.  B.,  487. 

Graham,  D.  B.,  243. 

Graham,  E.  M.,  361. 

Graham,  Elizabeth  230. 

Graham,  G.  J.,  362,  464,  475,  526. 
Graham,  G.  W.,  351,  400. 

Graham,  H.  L.,  358,  408. 

Graham,  Hugh,  21,  142,  150,  225. 
Graham,  I.  W.,  304,  317,  360,  394. 
Graham,  Jannet,  242. 

Graham,  Jack,  268. 

Graham,  James,  115,  201,  223,  225, 
231  268. 

Graham,  John,  25,  114,  150,  170, 

181,  180,  106,  201,  207,  218, 

210,  224,  232,  225,  226,  227, 

230,  241,  358,  406. 

Graham,  J.  A.,  362,  308. 

Graham,  J.  C.,  200,  463,  498,  500, 
538. 

Graham,  J.  F.,  243,  260,  530. 
Graham,  J.  M.,  287,  383,  406,  468, 
488,  516. 

Graham,  J.  J.  M.,  397,  464,  465, 
473. 

Graham,  J.  J.,  468. 

Graham,  J.  S.,  405,  463. 

Graham,  J.  W.,  527. 

Graham,  Miss  M.  V.,  46S. 

Graham,  Martha,  264,  280. 
Graham,  Nelson,  201,  382. 

Graham,  N.  M.,  360,  460. 

Graham,  Robert,  150. 

Graham,  R.  G.,  230. 

Graham,  R.  F.,  357. 

Graham,  Samuel,  260. 

Graham,  S.  A.,  364,  463,  464,  545. 


572 


INDEX 


Graham,  S.  E.,  218,  243,  268,  200, 
206,  311,  337,  367,  368,  360. 
Graham,  S.  J.,  287,  347,  358,  463. 
Graham,  Sarah,  225,  241,  243. 
Graham,  Susan,  242,  250. 

Graham,  Sevil,  225. 

Graham,  Swingle,  464. 

Graham,  W.  E.,  347,  407. 

Graham,  William,  115,  118,  150, 
201,  200,  210,  223,  225,  231, 
242,  259. 

Graham,  W.  J.,  287. 

Graham,  W.  L.,  354,  383,  298,  406, 
488. 

Grand  Jury  Committee,  446. 

Grand  Jury,  312,  340,  441,  461. 
Grant,  Hugh,  159. 

Grant,  John,  25. 

Grant,  U.  S.,  431. 

Graveyards,  321,  534. 

Gray,  Alfred,  351. 

Gray,  B.  F.,  358. 

Gray,  Jefferson,  358. 

Gray,  N.,  351,  383. 

Gray,  Thomas,  358. 

Grayson,  L.,  348,  407. 

Grayson,  H.  S.,  347. 

Grayson,  J.  M.,  347,  361,  407. 
Grayson,  J.  W.,  405. 

Grayson,  Mary,  370. 

Grayson,  W.  J.,  381. 

Grayson,  W.  S.,  357,  361. 

Grayson,  W.  W.,  464. 

Great  Mortality,  18. 

Greelyville,  529. 

Greelyville  School,  473. 

Gregg,  Bishop,  75. 

Gregg,  Eleanor,  86. 

Gregg,  Fort,  345. 

Gregg,  Hugh,  159. 

Gregg,  James,  86,  158. 

Gregg,  Jannet,  86. 

Gregg,  John,  25,  31,  86,  122,  158. 
Gregg,  Joseph,  158. 

Gregg,  Margaret,  81,  86. 

Gregg,  Mary,  86. 

Gregg,  Robert,  86,  158,  222. 

Gregg,  William,  86. 

Green,  Benjamin,  115. 

Green,  Elizabeth,  23. 

Green,  Ezra,  289. 

Green,  Francis,  56,  74,  159,  210. 
Green,  G.  D.,  351. 

Green,  George,  21,  244. 

Green,  G.  W.,  498. 

Green,  Hannah,  228. 

Green,  James,  114,  115,  159. 


Green,  Jane,  24. 

Green,  Jannet,  244. 

Green,  John,  23,  159,  360,  382,  413. 
Green,  J.  J,.  211. 

Green,  J.  G.,  243,  361,  362. 

Green,  John  T.,  133,  159. 

Green,  Joshua,  25. 

Green,  Lydia,  23. 

Green,  Mary,  240,  245. 

Green,  Martha,  289. 

Green,  R.  B.,  530. 

Green,  Richard,  56,  158,  360,  413. 
Green,  Church,  297. 

Green,  Robert,  201,  231,  237. 

Green,  Samuel,  158,  z*±5. 

Green,  S.  B.,  360,  413,  487. 

Green,  Thompson,  3(50,  413. 
Green,  William,  23,  24,  54,  56,  74, 
115,  159. 

Greer,  Barron,  527. 

Greer,  H.  L.,  416. 

Greer,  T.  R.,  440,  454. 

Greetless,  David,  350. 

Gregg’s  Letter,  336. 

Grendfield,  L.,  348,  353. 

Grier,  Mrs.  G.  E.,  476. 

Grier,  James,  169,  210. 

Grier,  John,  159. 

Griffis,  David,  159. 

Griggs,  N.  H.,  350. 

Grimes,  William,  70. 

“Ground  for  Bed,”  389. 

Guard  House,  525. 

Gresham,  G.  T.,  486. 

Guerry,  Benjamin,  159,  228. 
Guerry,  F.  P.,  473. 

Guerry,  Lydia,  164. 

Guerry,  Peter,  23. 

Guerry,  S.  A.,  515. 

Guess,  B.  G.,  488. 

Guess,  B.  M.,  398,  407,  408. 

Guess,  G.  A.,  347. 

Guess,  J.  A.,  409. 

Guess,  William,  343,  347,  348,  407. 
Guards,  Ripley,  379. 

Guild,  Samuel,  244,  191. 

Guild,  S.  S.,  398. 

Guilds,  Fortune,  440. 

Guinea  Negroes,  432. 

Guinna,  Iv.,  348. 

Gunther,  Hugh,  407. 

Gurgamus,  J.  F.,  384. 

Gwin,  Bettie,  472. 

Haddock,  Augustus,  328. 

Haddock,  C.  D.,  527. 

Hagood,  General,  400. 


INDEX 


573 


Hagan,  O.  F.,  527. 

Hagan,  O.,  1G0. 

Hagan,  Z.,  1G0. 

Hair,  J.  R.,  3G2. 

Hair,  W.  W.,  3G2. 

Haines,  L.,  384. 

Hanes,  J.  B.,  352. 

Hanes,  Samuel,  1G0. 

Hall,  E.  S.,  420, 

Hall,  Thomas,  21,  150. 

Hall,  Richard,  21,  142,  150. 
Hallford,  William,  407. 

Hallimer,  Hardy,  328. 

Halfacre,  W.  D.,  472. 

Ham,  J.  D.,  381. 

Ham,  William,  160. 

Ham,  Z.  T.,  382. 

Hamer,  Stuart,  474. 

Hamilton,  Archibald,  10,  21,  143. 
Hamilton,  Christian,  28. 

Hamilton,  James,  114,  116,  127. 
Hamilton,  Major,  132. 

Hamilton,  John,  63,  66,  78,  102,  116, 
127,  151,  202. 

Hamilton,  Margaret,  202,  225. 
Hamilton,  Robert,  147,  152. 
Hamilton,  William,  19,  57,  116,  142, 
153. 

Hambelton,  Rebecca,  160. 

Hamlin,  Thomas  B.,  245. 

Hammett,  Arthur,  361. 

Hammett,  J.  N.,  465. 

Hampton,  Wade,  120,  459,  456. 
Hampton  Nominated,  455. 
Hammond,  J.  L.,  352. 

Hammond,  Lucy,  510. 
“Handwriting  on  the  Wall,”  548. 
Hanna,  Elizabeth,  229,  259,  352. 
Hanna,  D.  H.,  474. 

Hanna,  D.  P.,  352. 

Hanna,  D.  W.,  503,  512. 

Hanna,  Calvin,  259,  381. 

Hanna,  G.  W.,  354. 

Hanna,  Mrs.  H.,  469. 

Hanna,  Hugh,  160,  201,  229,  259. 
Hanna,  H.  Z.,  464. 

Hanna,  James,  160,  201,  224,  360, 
413. 

Hanna,  J.  A.,  474. 

Hanna,  J.  E.,  357. 

Hanna,  J.  F.,  354.  382. 

Hanna,  J.  G.,  381. 

Hanna,  J.  J.,  354. 

Hanna,  J.  R.,  352. 

Hanna,  J.  W.,  384. 

Hanna,  Motte,  503. 

Hanna,  Pet,  515. 


Hanna,  Richard,  116. 

Hanna,  Robert,  116,  146,  354. 
Hanna,  Samuel,  348,  360. 

Hanna,  Sarah,  287. 

Hanna,  S.  D.,  382. 

Hanna,  S.  S.,  469. 

^-anna,  William,  160,  201,  469. 
Hanna,  Mrs.  W.  D.,  473. 

Hanna,  W.  E.,  464. 

Hanna,  W.  F.,  532. 

Hanna,  W.  J.,  357. 

Hannibal,  a  Slave,  259. 

Hanford,  D.  351. 

Harbin,  Ann,  81. 

Harbin,  Francis,  81. 

“Hard  Living”,  391. 

“Hard  Times”,  393. 

Hardee,  A.  W.,  405. 

Hardee,  General,  426. 

Hardee,  Mrs.  Ruth,  475. 

Harlee,  David,  360. 

Hardick,  W.  B.,  3S4. 

Hardick,  W.  S.,  400. 

Hardger,  Ann,  152. 

Harden,  Michael,  145,  146,  151,  161. 
Harper,  Belle,  474,  514. 

Harper,  Bessie,  470. 

Harper,  Edwin,  328,  362,  463,  470, 
536. 

Harper,  James,  25,  328,  357,  407, 
536. 

Harper,  John,  328. 

Harper,  J.  D.,  381. 

Harper,  Miss  N.  A.,  469. 

Harper,  T.  B.,  527. 

Harper,  T.  C.,  527. 

Harper,  W.  H.,  508,  527. 

Harmon,  G.  T.,  488,  513,  516. 
Harmon,  Mrs.  G.  T.,  514. 

Harmon,  Thomas,  160. 

Harmon,  W.  D.,  501. 

Harmon,  W.  H.,  502. 

Harmon,  William,  160. 

Harmon,  Shenneraft,  160. 
Harrington,  Drury,  25. 
Harrington,  D.  W.,  362. 
Harrington,  Erline,  475. 
Harrington,  J.  W.,  501,  502. 
Harrington,  Mary,  23. 

Harrington,  Thomas,  23,  161. 
Harrison,  108. 

Harrison,  T.  J.,  383,  409. 
Harrison,  Tim,  305. 

Harrison,  Fort,  408. 

Harrell,  Louis,  160. 

Harrelson,  Della,  475. 

Harrelson,  William,  160. 


INDEX 


574 


Harris,  S.  B.,  409. 

Harshey,  John,  151. 

Hart,  David,  160. 

Hart,  Oliver,  195. 

Hart,  Simon,  160. 

Harvey,  Judith,  161. 

Harvey,  Christopher,  21,  153. 
Harvey,  William,  21,  153. 

Hartley,  James,  160. 

Haselden,  Ann,  224,  237. 

Haselden,  Elizabeth,  224. 

Haselden,  Henry  W.,  542. 
Haselden,  Herbert,  503. 

Haselden,  J.  F.,  501,  527. 
Haselden,  John,  202,  224,  354,  384. 
Haselden,  J.  P.,  543. 

Haselden,  Martha,  543. 

Haselden,  Richard,  116. 

Haselden,  R.  M.,  473. 

Haselden,  Samuel,  26,  188,  190,  201, 
224,  237,  244. 

Haselden,  S.  J.,  502. 

Haselden,  Thomas,  201,  237. 
Haselden,  William,  116,  398,  397, 
514,  527. 

Haselden,  W.  M.,  353. 

Haselden,  Violetta,  237. 

Hassell,  W.  M.,  483. 

Hatched,  A.  J.,  400,  351. 

Hatched,  Joseph,  400. 

Hatched,  J.  N.,  400,  351. 

Hatched,  T.  H.,  400,  351. 

Hatcher,  Moses,  161. 

Hatlihorn,  Ann,  225. 

Hathliorn,  Hesther,  225. 

Hathliorn,  Jean,  225. 

Hathhorn,  Mary,  225. 

Hathhorn,  Sevil,  225. 

Hathaway,  J.,  381. 

Hathaway,  Thomas,  3S3. 

Hatfield,  W.  J.,  460. 

Hatcher,  I  sham,  160. 

Hate  Rampant,  431. 

“Haunts,”  355. 

Haw’s  Shop,  355,  407. 

Hawley,  F.  M.,  483. 

Hawkins,  Elizabeth,  229. 

Hawkins,  Frank  C.,  486,  494. 
Hawkins,  John,  202,  212. 
Hawthorn,  George,  202. 

Hawthorn,  Samuel,  202. 
Haynesworth,  H.  J.,  527. 
Haynesworth,  J.  R.,  498,  501. 

Heath,  W.  S.,  488. 

Health  Conditions,  536. 

Heathley,  Elizabeth,  19,  78,  125, 
180. 


Heathley,  James,  144. 

Heathley,  Mary,  23,  78,  89. 
Heathley,  Robert,  116. 

Heatldey’s  Run,  62. 

Heathley,  William,  23,  78,  142,  152. 
Herren,  William,  160. 

Hebrews,  489. 

Hebron  Church,  487. 

Hebron  School,  472. 

Hedelston,  John,  202. 

Heineman,  School,  472. 

Heins,  C.  A.,  465,  476,  501,  515. 
Heins,  Louise,  473. 

Hell,  441. 

Heller,  M.  F.,  4S1,  484,  515,  519. 
Heller,  Mrs.  M.  F.,  514,  532. 
Heller,  Philip,  440. 

Hemmington,  Jiles,  202. 

Helms,  Jonathan,  202. 
Hemingway,  Post  Office,  531. 
Hemingway  School,  472. 
Hemingway,  F.  R.,  464,  528. 
Hemingway,  G.  S.,  501. 
Hemingway,  J.  A.,  369,  397. 
Hemingway,  J.  E.,  500. 

Hemingway,  T.  S.,  362,  377,  504, 
527. 

Hemingway,  Mrs.  T.  S.,  523,  532. 
Hemingway,  W.  A.,  396,  397,  412. 
Hemingway,  W.  C.,  500,  527,  531. 
Hemingway,  W.  S.,  302. 
Henderson,  Augustus,  483. 
Henderson,  John,  45. 

Henderson,  William,  360. 

Henlin,  Benjamin,  161. 

Henlin,  John,  23,  25,  161. 

Henlin,  Margaret,  23. 

Henry,  Miss  A.  M.,  468. 

Henry,  Robert,  343,  348,  463,  480, 
485,  527. 

Henry  Post  Office,  531. 

Hepburn,  James,  74,  161,  202. 
Hepburn,  Elizabeth,  74. 

Henson,  Nancy,  221. 

Herdick,  W.  B.,  350. 

Herdsmen,  249. 

Herron,  John,  21. 

Herron,  Robert,  47. 

Herron,  Eleanor,  160,  161. 
Herndon,  J.  W.,  4S1. 

Hester,  E.  J.,  539. 

Hetehinhan,  Eliza,  238. 
Hetcliinhan,  Thomas,  238. 

Hewitt,  Anna,  224. 

Hewitt,  E.  II.,  147,  149,  202,  229. 
Hewitt,  Elizabeth,  224. 

Flewitt,  Francis  M.,  224. 


INDEX 


575 


Hewitt,  Jane  M.,  229,  232. 

Hewitt,  John,  151. 

Hewitt,  John  G.,  243. 

Hewitt,  John  J.,  224. 

Hewitt,  Mary,  224,  229. 

Hewitt,  Sarah,  224. 

Hewitt,  Thomas  N.,  224. 

Heyward,  Jean,  506. 

Heyward  School,  475. 

Hicks,  Elisha,  202. 

Hicks,  Elijah,  486. 

Hicks,  George  W.,  358,  408. 

Hicks,  Jesse,  202. 

Hicks,  J.  B.,  486. 

Hicks,  Mica  j  ah,  202. 

Hicks,  W.  J.,  358,  408. 

Hicks,  William  G.,  358. 

Hickman,  Joshua,  160. 

Hickman,  Isaac,  160. 

Hickson,  James,  229. 

Hickson,  John,  160,  161,  201,  229, 

221. 

Hickson,  Moses,  229. 

Hickson,  M.  O.,  350. 

Hickson,  Peter,  160. 

Hickson,  R.  S.,  228. 

Hickson,  Solomon  R.,  229. 

Hicks,  N.  C.,  352. 

Hiddleston,  Mary  E.,  237. 
Hiddleston,  Thomas,  237. 
Hiddleston,  William,  152,  161,  202, 
205,  218,  230,  240. 

Highlanders,  39. 

Highway  Commissioners,  62. 

Hill,  Isaac,  160. 

Hill,  John  415. 

Hill,  Patience,  221. 

Hill,  Thomas,  179. 

Hilton,  C.  E.,  529. 

Hinds,  A.  C.,  466,  4S6,  497,  500, 
513,  516,  527. 

Hinds,  Mrs.  A.  C.,  514. 

Hinds,  C.  M.,  485. 

Hinds,  John,  114. 

Hinnant,  Helen,  501,  515,  531. 
Ilinnant,  O.  C.,  475. 

Hinnant,  R.  P.,  328,  468,  4S0. 
Hinson,  Isham,  328. 

Ilirsch,  M.  J.,  327,  363,  416,  460, 
467,  470,  525,  527. 

Hirsch,  E.  L.,  528. 

History,  SC  Mark’s,  187. 

Hitch,  William,  223,  225. 

Hix,  Benjamin,  353. 

Hix,  John,  353. 

Hix,  William,  160. 

Ilixon,  M.  J.  E.,  400. 


Hoddy,  Elizabeth,  160. 

Hodge,  Benjamin,  116. 

Hodge,  David,  553. 

Hodge,  Fred,  474. 

Hodge,  James,  116. 

Hodge,  John  H.,  353. 

Hodge,  M.  E.,  362. 

Hodge,  William,  116,  353,  400. 
Hodges,  Elizabeth,  24. 

Hodges,  John,  24. 

Hodges,  W.  I.,  473,  500,  515. 
Hodges,  W.  H.,  4S8,  529. 

Holliday,  Joseph,  239. 

Holliday,  P.,  357. 

Holliday,  W.  W.,  499. 

Holliday,  Mrs.  W.,  514,  532. 
Holland,  J.  II.,  352. 

Hope,  Ralph,  160. 

Hopkins,  James,  344. 

Hopton,  Sarah,  76. 

Hop  ton,  William,  76. 

Hopewell  Church,  125,  185. 
Holliday,  Daniel,  25. 

Holliday,  William,  25. 

Holden,  John,  151. 

Holden,  Shoemaker,  161. 

Holden,  Samuel,  161. 

Holman,  J.,  514,  516. 

Holland,  James,  159. 

Holleman,  Willie,  503. 

Holmes,  J.  E.,  360,  408. 

“Homespun  Dress”,  373. 

Hoole,  Hannah,  74. 

Hoole,  James,  25,  74. 

Horn,  Richard,  160. 

Horry,  Peter,  71,  108,  127. 

Horton,  Joseph,  228. 

Horse  Racing,  93,  178,  255. 
Horlbeck,  M.  L.,  416. 

Housten,  C.,  384. 

House  of  Mourning,  436. 

Howard,  Benjamin,  116. 

Howard,  Edward,  84,  116,  220,  348. 
Howard,  F.  N.,  350,  384. 

Howard,  George,  84,  350. 

Howard,  J.  E.,  382,  405. 

Howard,  John,  116,  160,  161,  202, 

220. 

Howard,  J.  W.,  350. 

Howard,  Rachael,  161. 

Howard,  William,  220. 

Howard,  W.  R.,  202. 

Howard,  W.  W.,  484. 

Howe’s  History,  178. 

Hudson,  Ann,  24. 

Hudson,  Benjamin,  160. 

Hudson,  Hannah,  160. 


576 


INDEX 


Hudson,  James,  354. 

Hudson,  John,  383. 

Hudson,  Joseph,  1G0. 

Hudson,  Ludowic-k,  24. 

Hudson,  R.  H.,  348. 

Hull,  Hope,  202. 

Hull,  Joseph,  1G1. 

Humphries,  John,  144,  146,  151, 
153,  160. 

Hume,  Peter,  21. 

Hume,  Thomas,  70. 

Huger,  H.  E.,  349. 

Hughes,  Bridgett,  66. 

Hughes,  B.  468. 

Hughes,  D.  B.,  350. 

Huggins,  F.  E.,  500,  501. 

Hughes,  I.  W.,  349. 

Hughes,  Meredith,  33. 

Hughes,  Richard,  152. 

Hughes,  R.  A.,  532. 

Hughes,  Sarah,  160. 

Hughes,  T.  J.,  357,  382,  409. 
Huggins,  D.  G.,  472,  501. 

Huggins,  George,  292. 

Huggins,  G.  W.,  383,  407. 

Huggins,  G.  S,  B.,  362,  383. 
Huggins,  John,  116. 

Huggins,  J.  J.,  351,  399. 

Huggins,  J.  W.,  351. 

Huggins,  Mark,  114. 

Huggins,  William,  114. 

Huguenots,  25,  32. 

Hundreds,  Bermuda,  408. 

Hunter,  George,  21,  69. 

“Hurrah  Grounds”,  546. 

Hurt,  W.  E.,  485,  486. 
Hutchinson,  Aaron,  160. 
Hutchinson,  Arthur,  160, 
Hutchinson,  E.  B.,  352. 
Hutchinson,  L.  N.,  352. 

Hutson,  John,  116,  194. 

Hutson,  Joe,  194. 

Hutson,  S.  J.,  529. 

Hutson,  William,  116. 

Hydecker,  J.  A.,  160. 

Hyman,  J.  C.,  409. 

Hyman,  T.,  409. 

Hymns  Sung,  490. 

Immortal  Six  Hundred,  418. 
Inabnit,  J.  P.,  488. 

“Independent  Order”,  176. 

Indians,  2,  6,  15,  71. 

Indiantown,  33. 

Indiantown  Academy,  253. 
Indiantown  Church,  48,  52,  124, 
174,  179,  197,  258,  481,  483. 


Indiantown  Church  Destroyed,  178. 
Indiantown  Congregation,  49. 
Indiantown  Post  Office,  253. 
Indiantown  School,  474. 
Indiantown  Session  Records,  258. 
Indigo,  41,  133. 

Indigo  Accident,  42. 

Indigo  Vats,  89. 

Infants  Baptized,  259. 

Influenza,  41. 

Irish  Protestants,  39. 

Ironmonger,  Recten,  161. 

Ivey,  John,  161. 

Jackson,  Andrew,  177,  344. 
Jackson,  A.  W.,  468,  488. 

Jackson,  John,  161. 

Jackson,  Mabel,  473. 

Jackson,  William,  161. 

Jacobs,  C.  D.,  507,  527. 

Jacobs,  Florence,  514. 

Jacobs,  Louis,  363,  440,  459,  460, 
470,  525. 

Jacobs,  Mamie,  514. 

Jacobs,  Maxmilian,  459,  531. 
Jacobs,  M.  H.,  524. 

James  I,  27. 

James  II,  123. 

James’  Battalion,  97. 

James  Island,  384. 

James,  Alexander,  114. 

,James,  David,  116. 

James,  E.  L.,  243. 

James,  Elzabeth,  78,  124.  243,  245. 
James,  Elizabeth  L.,  245. 

James,  Esther,  78. 

James,  Gavin,  108,  116,  202,  246. 
James,  G.  W.,  351. 

James,  Henry,  239. 

James,  Ervin,  161. 

James,  James,  116. 

James,  J.  C.,  516,  527. 

James,  J.  I.,  239. 

James,  J.  M.,  472. 

James,  Jane,  125,  161,  202,  227. 
James,  Jannet,  11,  77,  78,  124. 
James,  John,  11,  12,  20,  21,  45,  46, 
48,  50,  57,  66,  71,  78,  92,  93, 
95,  96,  101,  104,  114,  123,  124. 
128,  130,  131,  133,  159,  161. 

181,  202,  210,  221,  227,  243, 

256,  261,  263. 

James,  John  T.,  243,  245. 

James,  Johnson,  161. 

James,  Jones,  162. 

James,  Jean,  79,  124. 

James,  J.  A.,  354,  369,  527. 


INDEX 


577 


James,  Mary,  11,  12. 

James,  Mary  E.,  243. 

James,  Meek,  102. 

James,  Nathaniel,  116. 

James,  Perry,  100. 

James,  Philip,  105. 

James,  Robert,  78,  116,  161,  238, 
258. 

James,  Robert  W.,  181,  243,  245, 
264,  302. 

James,  Samuel,  78,  227,  202,  243, 
244,  245,  265,  274. 

James,  Samuel  W.,  202. 

James,  S.  S.,  347. 

James,  Sarah,  78,  118. 

James,  Sarah  A.,  243,  245,  264. 
James,  Sarah  J.,  227. 

James,  T.  E.,  468. 

James,  William,  9,  10,  11,  12,  13, 
20,  21,  35,  45,  46,  62,  66,  78, 
87,  09,  118,  123,  142,  143,  161, 
202.  246. 

James,  William  D.,  116,  120,  124. 
James,  William  E.,  238,  243,  245, 
347,  308. 

Jamison,  Isabella,  23. 

Jamison,  John,  21,  23,  143. 
Jamison,  Robert,  116. 

Jamison,  William,  78. 

Jarrot,  Richard,  317. 

Jarvis,  H.  M.,  484. 

Jaudon,  David,  78. 

Jaudon,  D.  J.,  308. 

Jaudon,  Elizabeth,  78,  228. 

Jaudon,  Esther,  228. 

Jaudon,  James,  228. 

Jaudon,  Joanna,  201. 

Jaudon,  J.  J.,  347,  308. 

Jaudon,  Margaret,  23. 

Jaudon,  Paul,  23,  25,  78,  228. 
Jaudon,  Samuel,  228. 

Jaudon,  Sarah,  228. 

Javroe,  A.  M.,  348,  381,  307. 

Jayroe,  John  W.,  347,  407,  408. 
Jefferson,  W.,  382,  405,  487. 
Jenkins,  Ann,  85. 

Jenkins,  Dorothy,  24. 

Jenkins,  James,  161. 

Jenkins,  Margaret,  161. 

Jenkins,  Samuel,  25,  161,  202,  208. 
Jenkins,  Thomas,  24,  224. 
Jenkinson,  Martha,  514. 

Jenkinson,  W.  E.,  525. 

Jerks,  103. 

Jeuner,  James,  23. 

Johnson  Swamp,  474. 

Johnson,  Fort,  346. 


Johnson,  Andrew,  437. 

Johnson,  Bushrod,  359. 

Johnson,  Carter,  512. 

Johnson,  Celia,  244. 

Johnson,  Cemmy,  224. 

Johnson,  Chalmers,  483. 

Johnson,  Daniel,  350. 

Johnson,  David,  10,  142. 

Johnson,  D.  A.,  520. 

Johnson,  D.  W.,  399. 

Johnson,  Edward,  222,  328,  347, 
383,  408. 

Johnson,  E.  B.,  202,  229. 

Johnson,  E.  H.,  354,  308. 

Johnson,  Francis,  244. 

Johnson,  George,  161. 

Johnson,  G.  W.,  350,  400. 

Johnson,  Gilbert,  350. 

Johnson,  H.  B.,  328. 

Johnson,  Hugh,  383. 

Johnson,  Jacob,  161,  202. 

Johnson,  James,  202,  399. 

Johnson,  J.  B.,  347,  413. 

Johnson,  J.  H.,  3S1. 

Johnson,  J.  M.,  350. 

Johnson,  J.  P.,  350. 

Johnson,  J.  S.,  474. 

Johnson,  Joseph,  21. 

Johnson,  L.  B.,  502,  527. 

Johnson,  Mary,  202. 

Johnson,  M.  M.,  407. 

Johnson,  Paul  W.,  399. 

Johnson,  R.  Iv.,  472. 

Johnson,  Richard,  153. 

Johnson,  Robert,  3. 

Johnson,  T.  A.,  474. 

Johnson,  Thomas,  SO. 

Johnson,  Thomson,  161. 

Johnson,  William,  21,  161,  202,  224, 
227,  244,  487. 

Johnson,  W.  H.,  369. 

Johnson,  W.  N.,  353. 

Johnson,  W.  W.,  237. 

Johnston,  J.  B.,  348. 

Johnston,  J.  J.,  348. 

Johnston,  Joseph,  416,  424. 
Johnston,  W.  W.,  464. 

Jolly,  Archibald,  161,  202. 

Jolly,  Joseph,  161. 

Jolly,  Joshua,  25,  74. 

Jolly,  Mary,  74. 

Jones,  Amos,  3S4,  400. 

Jones,  Charles,  344,  363,  366. 
Jones,  Mrs.  Daniel,  295. 

Jones,  E.  S.,  361. 

Jones,  Frank  M.,  361. 


578 


INDEX 


Jones,  George,  384. 

Jones,  J.  F.,  347. 

Jones,  J.  L.,  3G9. 

Jones,  J.  W.,  488. 

Jones,  Elizabeth,  24. 

Jones,  Richard,  24. 

Jones,  Ebenezer,  25. 

Jones,  John,  56,  62,  101. 

Jones,  L.,  351,  384. 

Jones,  Mary.  161. 

Jones,  M.,  351,  309,  400,  468. 
Jones,  Peter,  161. 

Jones,  Samuel,  161,  202,  362. 
Jones,  W.  E.,  405. 

Jones,  William,  161,  202,  224,  351. 
Jordan,  Abraham,  21. 

Jordan,  J.  E.,  512. 

Jordan,  R.,  397,  405. 

Jordan,  Sarah,  202. 

Jordan,  Thomas,  251,  383,  384. 
Jordan,  W.  P.,  474. 

Josey,  J.  C.,  468. 

Joy,  E.  J.,  362. 

Joy,  F.  E.,  362. 

Joy,  L.  M.,  362. 

“Jumping  Exercise,”  193. 

June,  A.,  354. 

June,  J.  S.,  360,  407. 

June,  P.  P.,  381. 

June,  S.  M.,  347. 

June,  Stacey,  409. 

June,  Stephen,  161. 

June,  P.  G.,  354. 

Justus,  W.  B.,  488. 

Kaler,  J.  E.,  407. 

Keels,  Abraham,  116,  118. 

Keels,  Bradford,  4S0. 

Keels,  Daniel,  361,  382. 

Keels,  E.  C.,  343,  347,  409. 


Keels, 

G.  WT., 

239. 

Keels, 

Isaac, 

116, 

162, 

188, 

202, 

208,  239. 

Keels, 

John, 

116, 

162, 

202, 

224, 

228,  235,  256. 

Keels,  J.  A.,  343,  440. 

Keels,  J.  H.,  344,  464. 

Keels,  J.  M.,  4S5. 

Keels,  J.  W.,  187,  224,  397. 
Keels,  Mary,  186,  224. 

Keels,  Miss  M.  T.,  469. 

Keels,  Peter  R.,  224,  239,  502. 
Keels,  Richard,  186,  224. 
Keels,  R.  F.,  224. 

Keels,  S.  J.,  239. 

Keels,  Sue  R.,  469. 


Keels,  Susannah,  228,  239. 

Keels,  T.  M.,  361,  362. 

Keels,  T.  T..  353. 

Keels,  W.  E.,  361. 

Keels,  W.  M.,  463. 

Keith,  B.  L.,  532. 

Keith,  Harriet,  119. 

Keith,  Robert,  1. 

Keith,  Sarah,  162. 

Keith,  William,  162. 

Kellahan,  Flossie,  515. 

Kellahan,  R.  H.,  327,  328,  463,  496, 

524,  525,  536. 

Kelley,  Mrs.  Charlton,  497. 

Kelly,  Daniel,  118. 

Kelly,  Elizabeth,  224. 

Kelley,  E.  T.,  527. 

Kelly,  E.  J.,  347,  408. 

Kelly,  James,  116. 

Kelly,  John,  24,  116. 

Kelly,  John  A.,  362,  455,  463,  496, 
497,  519,  520,  525,  527. 

Kelly,  J.  W.,  347. 

Kelly,  Samuel,  116. 

Kelly,  T.  S.,  474. 

Kelty,  James,  235. 

Kelty,  Jean,  235. 

Kelty,  John,  162,  202,  235. 
Kennedy  Faction,  175. 

Kennedy,  Alexander,  116,  118,  127. 
Kennedy,  Amelia,  470. 

Kennedy,  Ann,  241. 

Kennedy,  Archibald,  238. 

Kennedy,  Bertha,  473. 

Kennedy,  Bryan,  23. 

Kennedy,  James,  25,  116. 

Kennedy,  J.  N.,  405,  430,  487. 
Kennedy,  John,  70,  118,  202. 
Kennedy,  Joseph,  116. 

Kennedy,  Mrs.  Julia  S.,  524. 
Kennedy,  Lyde,  472. 

Kennedy,  Martha,  241. 

Kennedy,  Mary,  23,  162. 

Kennedy,  Muldrow,  194. 

Kennedy,  Samuel,  21,  143,  144,  150, 
151,  162,  172,  173,  175,  176. 
Kennedy,  Sarah,  238. 

Kennedy,  Stephen,  116. 

Kennedy,  Thomas,  116,  118,  241. 
Kennedy,  William,  241,  292. 
Kennedy,  W.  H.,  405,  455,  463,  475, 

525. 

Kennedy,  W.  P.,  382. 

Kennedy,  W.  T.,  405. 

Kennedy,  W.  W.,  465. 

Kerwin,  Crafton,  21,  59,  63,  79,  142, 


INDEX 


579 


143. 

Kerwin,  Mary,  79. 

Kerwin,  Thomas,  79,  114,  118. 

Key  to  Heaven,  292. 

Kimball,  R.  H.,  350,  4G3,  536. 
Kinder,  Elmo,  302. 

Kinder,  H.  H.,  354,  378. 

Kinder,  H.  U.,  525. 

Kinder,  John  M.,  143,  152,  162, 
202,  302. 

Kinder,  J.  C.,  503. 

Kinder,  J.  H.,  361. 

Kinder,  L.  P.,  465,  525. 

Kinder,  Maude  Allene,  473. 
Kinder,  William,  295. 

Kinder,  W.  M.,  347. 

King,  Eugene,  503. 

King,  James,  25. 

King,  John,  252. 

King,  R.  W.,  408. 

King’s  Tree,  8,  9,  13,  139. 
Kingstree  Academy,  469. 
Kingstree  R.  Church,  397,  405. 
Kingstree  Battle,  104. 

Kingstree  B  &  L  Ass’n.,  520. 
Kingstree  Library,  478. 

Kingstree  Light  Co.,  520. 
Kingstree  Ferry,  211. 

Kingstree  School,  470. 

Kingstree  Incorporated,  518. 
Kingstree  Masons,  524. 

Killed,  C.  S.  A.,  382. 

Killed,  World  War,  512. 

Kingstree  Meeting  House,  207. 
Kingstree  M.  Church,  486. 
Kingstree  Militia,  70. 

Kingstree’ s  Own  Company,  414. 
“Kingstree  Star”,  364. 

Kingstree  Drainage  District,  545. 
King  School,  474. 

Kirby,  R.,  382. 

Kirby,  D.  P..  351,  405. 

Kirbv,  E.,  405. 

Kirby,  J.  F.,  398,  405. 

Kirbv,  J.  T.,  350,  408. 

Kirby,  R.  W.,  351.  383. 

Kirby,  Samuel,  350,  398,  468. 
Kirby,  T.  J.,  406,  408. 

Kirk,  R.  J.,  463,  527. 

Kirkley,  Mrs.  C.  B.,  473. 

Kirkley,  C.  B.,  473. 

Kirkpatrick,  James,  162. 

Kirton,  James,  344,  348,  361,  468. 
ICirton,  S.  W.,  344,  361. 

Knight,  Catherine,  162. 

Knox,  Alexander,  280. 


Knox,  Archibald,  86,  116,  162,  185. 
Knox,  Elizabeth,  289. 

Knox,  Hugh,  114,  118. 

Knox,  John,  21,  36,  151,  162,  171, 
174,  180,  271,  290. 

Knox,  Mary,  162. 

Knox,  Robert,  116. 

Knox,  Samuel,  86,  162,  202,  226, 
290. 

Knox,  William,  162,  176,  217. 
Knox,  W.  D.,  449. 

Knox,  W.  J.,  347. 

Koger,  Pearl,  470. 

Koon,  S.  W.,  398. 

Kramer,  J.  W.,  486. 

Ku  Klux  Klan,  451. 

Labor,  Negro,  536. 

Labor,  White,  536. 

Lacey,  Sarah,  162. 

Lacey,  James,  162,  235. 

Lacey,  J.  M.,  351,  400. 

LaFar,  John,  483. 

Lake,  Richard,  21. 

Lake,  Thomas,  150. 

Lamb,  Javin,  162. 

Lamb,  Joseph,  163. 

Lamb,  H.  J.,  353,  363,  398. 

Lamb,  Levi,  202. 

Lamb,  Robert,  406. 

Lamb,  S.  D.,  353,  398. 

Lambert,  A.  J.,  3S2. 

Lambert,  Ann,  56. 

Lambert,  R.  J.,  357. 

Lambert,  B.,  381. 

Lambert,  E.  M.,  474. 

Lambert,  H.,  382. 

Lambert,  W.  F.,  347. 

Lambert’s  Post  Office,  531. 
Lambson,  J.  R.,  463,  536. 
Lancaster,  Carrie,  472. 

Land,  B.  L.,  353. 

Land,  C.  S.,  344,  358,  359,  380, 
528,  536. 

Land,  James,  347. 

Lander,  M.  M.,  469. 

Land,  Grants,  137. 

Land  Values,  257,  534. 

Lansdale,  Thomas,  143. 

Lane,  Elizabeth,  232. 

Lane,  Hannah,  162. 

Lane,  James,  56,  57,  232. 

Lane,  John,  21,  23,  53,  162,  202, 
230,  232. 

Lane.  Rebecca,  162. 

Lane,  Sarah,  23,  232. 


580  INDEX 


Lane  School,  473. 

Lane,  Thomas,  205,  232. 

Lane,  W.  K.,  327,  357. 

Lane,  Bank  of,  500. 

Laney,  William,  309. 

Langston,  M.  C.,  351,  398. 

Lanham,  J.  C.,  525. 

LaRebour,  J.  F.,  407. 

Laroche,  Paul,  53. 

Larrimore,  W.  A.,  432. 

Latham,  Amos,  162. 

Law  and  Order,  461. 

Law,  Martial,  434. 

Law,  James,  21,  142. 

Law,  William,  85,  145,  151,  162. 
Lawes,  James,  66. 

Lawlessness,  444. 

Lawremore,  William,  163. 
Lawrence,  Lorena,  473. 

Lawrimore,  W.  A.,  501. 

Laws,  John,  351. 

Laws,  John  C.,  398. 

Lawyers  in  1860,  317. 

Lawyers,  527. 

Lazarus,  J.,  358. 

Layman,  David,  162. 

Learning,  548. 

Legal  Holidays,  92. 

Legion,  Pee  Dee,  357. 

Leighton,  J.  F.,  349. 

Leger,  Francis,  233. 

Lee,  Andrew,  116. 

Lee,  A.  R.,  400,  351. 

Lee,  B.,  351. 

Lee,  Charles,  357. 

Lee,  C.  W.,  351,  384. 

Lee,  D.,  223,  400. 

Lee,  Elijah,  202. 

Lee,  Fernay,  163. 

Lee,  Hampton,  351,  383. 

Lee,  Ira,  358,  408. 

Lee,  Isaac,  347,  358,  408. 

Lee,  J.,  162,  405. 

Lee,  J.  A.,  351. 

Lee,  J.  L.,  351. 

Lee,  J.  W.,  351. 

Lee,  Jesse,  187. 

Lee,  John,  24,  116,  118. 

Lee,  J.  H.,  400. 

Lee,  J.  W.,  400. 

Lee,  LeRoy,  503,  504,  520,  527. 
Lee,  Mrs.  LeRoy,  514,  532. 

Lee’s  Legion,  110. 

Lee,  Margaret,  24. 

Lee,  N.  D.,  351. 

Lee,  Needham,  162,  202,  207,  209. 
Lee,  P.  D.,  384. 


Lee,  Robert  E.,  359,  423,  431. 

Lee,  Sam,  162. 

Lee,  Simon,  358. 

Lee,  Sherrod,  202. 

Lee,  Timothy,  202,  258,  408. 

Lee,  Virginia,  484. 

Lee,  W.  A.,  328,  352. 

Lee,  W.  C.,  251,  384,  400. 

Lee,  W.  J.,  358,  484,  485,  381,  440. 
Lee,  W.  L.,  368. 

Lee,  W.  J.  M.t  350,  401. 

Lee,  W.  M.  C.,  351. 

Leger,  Ann,  23. 

Leger,  Daniel,  162. 

Leger,  James,  162. 

Leger,  John,  23,  25,  162,  232. 
Leger,  William,  162,  232. 

Lemon,  John,  66,  153. 

Lenerieux,  Francis  H.,  354,  398. 
Lenerieux,  William,  399. 

Lentz,  Frank  O.,  527. 

Lenud,  Abraham,  25,  71. 

Lenud,  C.  C.,  228. 

Lenud,  Henry,  116,  118,  405. 
Lenud’s  Ferry,  25,  139,  187,  324. 
Lenud’s  Ferry  Battle,  100. 

Lenud’s  Ferry  Road,  207. 

Lenud  School,  475. 

Lequex,  John,  162,  244,  360,  369, 

397. 

Lequex,  Peter,  25,  116,  118,  207. 
Lequex,  Samuel,  116,  162. 

Lesesne,  B.  H.,  503. 

Lesesne,  Charles  F.,  186,  220,  235. 
Lesesne,  Charles,  187,  244,  344,  352, 

398,  407,  400,  406. 

Lesesne,  Charles  R.,  465. 

Lesesne,  Daniel,  116,  118. 

Lesesne,  Mrs.  Elizabeth,  480. 
Lesesne,  E.  R.,  344,  352,  398,  463, 

400,  416,  485,  468. 

Lesesne,  F.  J.,  343,  406. 

Lesesne,  Francis,  25,  33,  116,  256, 
352. 

Lesesne,  Fred,  496. 

Lesesne,  J.  C.,  382. 

Lesesne,  J.  L.,  538. 

Lesesne,  John,  116. 

Lesesne,  Margaret,  235. 

Lesesne,  Mary,  118. 

Lesesne,  N.  D.,  362,  366,  367,  464, 
469,  497,  513. 

Lesesne,  P.  H.,  407. 

Lesesne,  Thomas  S.,  296,  353. 
Lesesne,  W.  E.,  538. 

Lesesne,  William,  226,  228. 
Lesesne,  W.  C.,  408. 


INDEX 


581 


Lester,  Andrew,  114. 

Lester,  Ann,  78. 

Lester,  James,  116,  118. 

Lester,  John,  78. 

Lester,  Martha,  78. 

Lester,  Sarah,  227. 

Lester,  Robert,  212. 

Lester,  W.  B.,  340,  357. 

Lester,  William,  162,  202,  227. 
Lever,  James,  202. 

Leviston,  Elizabeth,  76. 

Leviston,  John,  48,  62,  63,  66,  71, 
76. 

Leviston,  Samuel,  76. 

Levy,  Aaron,  154. 

Levy,  Lamb,  154. 

Levy,  William,  202. 

Lewis,  Adria,  475. 

Lewis,  Elizabeth,  474. 

Lewis,  Joe,  348,  357. 

Lewis,  Laurie,  503. 

Lewis,  Robert,  70,  71. 

Lewis,  Sarah,  85. 

Lewis,  H.  S.,  420. 

“Liberty  or  Death,”  96. 

“Lice  Amuse,”  393. 

Lide,  T.  P.,  4S6. 

Lifrage,  Ann,  401. 

Lifrage,  Dulcie,  499. 

Lifrage,  Emma,  474. 

Lifrage,  J.  G.,  531. 

Lifrage,  J.  S.,  357,  402. 

Lifrage,  Margaret,  221. 

Lifrage,  Mary,  295,  401. 

Lifrage,  M.  R.,  469. 

Lifrage,  Nancy,  289. 

Lifrage,  S.  L.,  348,  357. 

Lifrage,  T.  M.,  295,  353,  402,  406, 
531. 

Lifrage,  V.,  360. 

Lifrage,  William,  221,  289,  301,  530, 
202,  241,  244,  245. 

Lifrage,  W.  J.  J.,  301,  382,  401. 
Ligneager,  Isaac,  162. 

Liles,  R.  K.,  347,  408. 

Lincoln,  Abraham,  340,  344,  431. 
Lincolndom,  409. 

Lincolnites,  409. 

Lindsey,  Patrick,  66,  21,  153. 
Linson,  Thomas,  162. 

Liquor  Selling,  446. 

Liquor  Selling  Opposed,  288. 

Little,  J.  M.,  363. 

Little,  Robert,  153. 

Lining,  Doctor,  152. 

Local  Board,  504. 

Local  Preachers,  480. 


Locke,  John,  1. 

Lockliear,  Thelma,  472. 

Lockwood,  P.  B.,  474. 

Lofton,  H.  M.,  351. 

Logan,  Calhoun,  344,  346,  380,  384, 
406,  407,  414. 

Logan,  George  P.,  522,  527. 

Logan,  Joseph,  228. 

Logan,  Maude,  522. 

Logan,  R.  C.,  312,  341,  343,  348, 
485,  519,  521. 

Logan,  T.  B.,  348,  361,  440,  464, 
527. 

Logan,  D.  W.,  344,  34S. 

Logan,  W.  B.,  522. 

Long,  J.,  405. 

Long,  Henry,  384. 

Long,  S.  A.,  405. 

Long,  S.  R.,  474. 

Lord  Bishop  of  London,  5. 

Lord’s  Day,  6. 

Lords  Proprietors,  1. 

Lottery  in  Kingstree,  175. 

Lovett,  G.  H.,  475. 

Lovett,  J.  B.,  475. 

Lovett,  Mrs.  Ozzie,  474,  503. 

Low  Country,  214. 

Lower  Bridge,  18,  430. 

Lower  Bridge  Aid  Society,  370. 
Lower  Bridge  Road,  61,  207. 
Lowder,  R.  T.,  301. 

Lowry,  David,  239. 

Lowry,  Elizabeth,  239. 

Lowry,  John,  162. 

Lowry,  Robert,  116,  118,  162,  202, 
227,  239. 

Lowry,  Samuel,  239. 

Lowry,  William,  21,  41,  116,  239. 
Lowry’s  Bridge,  211. 

Loyd,  John,  70,  141. 

Lucas,  John,  473. 

Luiser,  Thomas, 

Lume,  Charles,  221. 

Lume,  Thelma,  472. 

Lynam,  II.  J.,  344. 

Lynch’s  Creek,  139,  187. 

Lynch,  A.,  351,  400. 

Lynch,  E.,  390. 

Lynch,  G.  W.,  358. 

Lynch,  James,  84. 

Lynch,  Jason,  351. 

Lynch,  J.  L.,  351. 

Lynch,  J.  M.,  400. 

Lynch,  John  E.,  358. 

Lynch,  Laura,  472. 

Lynch,  Thomas,  75,  76,  92,  95. 


582 


INDEX 


Lynch,  William  E.,  358. 

Lynch,  W.  S.,  527. 

McCauley,  Amarynthia,  239. 
McCauley,  James,  22,  116,  118. 
McCauley,  John,  97,  114,  118,  128, 
129,  131,  139,  141,  142,  144,  145, 
152,  151,  219. 

McCauley,  Rachael,  239. 

Macon  Telegraph,  371. 

Magistrate  System,  314. 

Mahaffy,  J.  E.,  48S. 

Malcolmson,  James,  148,  152,  175, 
255. 

Malcolmson,  Samuel,  147,  149,  150, 
151,  152,  203,  219. 

Malfeasance,  445. 

Mallard  Lumber  Company,  529. 
Malone,  Richard,  21,  152. 

Malpess,  Joel,  163. 

Malvern  Hill,  382. 

Mammon,  John,  165. 

Manigault,  A.  M.,  349,  377,  401. 
Manning,  James,  163. 

Manning,  William,  202. 

Manual  Labor,  Delusion,  433. 
Marion’s  Body  Guard,  127. 

Marion  Branch  School,  475. 
Marion’s  Brigade,  98,  104,  111,  114. 
Marion,  Francis,  98,  104,  108,  121, 
220,  529. 

Marion’s  Headquarters,  105. 
Marion  Takes  Command,  98. 
Marion’s  Spy  System,  100. 
Marlowe,  Charles,  164. 

Marler,  Joseph,  203. 

Marlow,  II.  L.,  350. 

Marlow,  James,  163. 

Marlow,  William,  164,  165. 

Marlow,  Richard,  163. 

Market  House,  140,  148. 

Market,  Tobacco,  520. 

Markets  of  Williamsburg,  250. 
Markey,  John,  347. 

Marriages,  5. 

Marsden,  Elizabeth,  164. 

Marsh,  Samuel,  237. 

Marshall,  James,  203. 

Marshall,  J.  J.,  357,  407. 

Marshall,  John,  116,  384. 

Marshall,  J.  W.,  360,  468. 

Marshall,  R.  B.,  4S8. 

Marshall,  Thelma,  476. 

Marshall,  W.  A.,  350,  408,  475. 
March,  John,  163,  165. 

March,  Tarena,  163. 

Marler,  Richard,  165. 


Marner,  Charles,  163. 

Marsh,  A.  B.,  398. 

Martin,  Abraham,  235. 

Martin,  C.  R.,  409. 

Martin,  David,  225. 

Martin,  D.  Z.,  348,  360,  397,  413, 
468,  4S7. 

Martin,  Ebenezer,  235. 

Martin,  E.  F.,  525. 

Martin,  E.  R.,  344,  347,  348,  356, 
409. 

Martin,  Francis  Mann,  168. 

Martin,  George,  353,  398. 

Martin,  G.  T.,  516. 

Martin,  I.  J.,  344,  347. 

Martin,  James,  409. 

Martin,  J.  C.  P.,  350,  384. 

Martin,  J.  F.,  350. 

Martin,  J.  G.,  348. 

Martin,  J.  J.,  344,  361. 

Martin,  Matthew  L.,  268. 

Martin,  R.  G.,  350. 

Martin,  T.  N.,  349. 

Martin,  W.  S,  488. 

Martin,  Walter,  75. 

Martin,  Zachariah,  163. 

Maryland  Heights,  383. 

Mason,  B.  M.,  317. 

Mason,  D.  M.,  295,  316,  337. 

Mason,  J.  M.,  527. 

Mason,  John,  252. 

Massachusetts  Bay,  3. 

Massibeau,  W.  A.,  488. 

Matthews,  Abraham,  80,  203,  164, 
400. 

Matthews,  Ann,  SO. 

Matthews,  A.  M.,  351,  382. 
Matthews,  Benjamin,  358,  407. 
Matthews,  C.  M.,  353,  442. 
Matthews,  C.  W.,  406. 

Matthews,  David,  116,  203. 
Matthews,  Dunnin,  359. 

Matthews,  E.  E.,  405. 

Matthews,  Eleanor,  222. 

Matthews,  Charles,  351. 

Matthews,  Elizabeth,  80,  82,  203. 
Matthews,  E.  J.  C.,  382. 

Matthews,  F.,  351,  400. 

Matthews,  Gordon,  359. 

Matthews,  G.  R.,  351,  383. 
Matthews,  G.  W.,  351,  383,  400. 
Matthews,  H.,  351,  399,  400. 
Matthews,  H.  W.,  407. 

Matthews,  Isaac,  80,  102,  116,  143, 
150,  164,  199,  203,  227. 
Matthews,  James,  A.,  359. 
Matthews,  T.  A.,  407. 


INDEX 


583 


Matthews,  J.  C.,  295. 

Matthews,  J.  M.,  383. 

Matthews,  J.  S.,  359. 

Matthews,  Jane,  257. 

Matthews,  Jean,  SO. 

Matthews,  Jefferson,  359. 
Matthews,  Jeremiah,  202. 
Matthews,  John,  21,  66,  80,  87,  150, 
153,  163,  180,  203,  222,  226,  227, 
229,  232,  382,  354. 

Matthews,  J.  J.,  194,  384. 
Matthews,  J.  M.,  202,  347,  407. 
Matthews,  J.  N.,  295. 

Matthews,  Jonah,  165,  203. 
Matthews,  J.  L.  R.,  405. 

Matthews,  Joseph,  116. 

Matthews,  Moses  M.,  351,  359. 
Matthews,  Mary,  80,  227. 
Matthews,  Moses,  218,  227,  230, 
400. 

Matthews,  Pleasant,  358,  398,  400. 
Matthews,  Ralston,  359. 

Matthews,  Rebecca,  295. 

Matthews,  Richard,  203. 

Matthews,  R.  M.,  351,  400. 
Matthews,  Robert,  400. 

Matthews,  Samuel,  116,  207,  440. 
Matthews,  Sarah,  80,  229. 
Matthews,  Susannah,  229. 
Matthews,  T.  A.,  398. 

Matthews,  W.  D.,  529. 

Matthews,  William,  80,  82,  116,  203, 
351  405. 

Matthews,  W.  J.,  362,  382,  408. 
Matthews,  W.  W.,  354,  469. 
Maurice,  R.  F.,  354,  527,  531,  537. 
Maurice,  S.  W.,  317,  343,  348,  379, 
397,  440,  449,  459,  463,  524, 
525,  527. 

Maxwell,  Dorothy,  79. 

Maxwell,  George,  79. 

Maxwell,  James,  397. 

Maxwell,  John,  203. 

Maxwell,  Samuel,  144,  145,  146, 
151,  164. 

May,  Enoch,  165. 

May,  J.  A.,  455. 

Mayes,  Samuel,  116,  180. 

Mayors  of  Ivingstree,  525. 

Meilett,  Mary,  84. 

Mellett,  Peter,  70. 

Merchants  at  Willtown,  252. 
Merriman,  Thomas,  477. 

Messers,  John,  164. 

Methodist  Churches,  296,  488. 
Mexican  War,  320. 

Mlchau,  Abraham,  23,  25,  80,  71, 


219. 

Michau,  Alexander,  203,  227,  232, 
235. 

Michau,  Ann,  227. 

Michau,  Charlotte,  227. 

Michau,  Daniel,  80. 

Michau,  D.  F.,  360. 

Michau,  Dorothy,  227. 

Michau,  Duplessus,  191,  203. 
Michau,  Fletcher,  360. 

Michau,  Hester,  80. 

Michau,  Julia,  80. 

Michau,  Lydia,  23,  80. 

Michau,  Manassel,  164. 

Michau,  Noah,  360. 

Michau,  Paul,  80,  164,  203,  227. 
Michau,  Peter,  165,  244. 

Michau,  Susannah,  235. 

Michau,  W.,  80,  92,  116,  118. 
Michau,  W.  W.,  472. 

Middleton,  James,  399. 

Middleton,  Richard,  59,  87,  142. 
Midway  Church,  186,  298,  486. 
Midway  School,  475. 

Migrations,  180,  257. 

Mikell,  Jane,  163. 

Mild,  Jesse,  343. 

Miles,  Allen,  362. 

Miles,  Benjamin,  359. 

Miles,  Joseph,  359. 

Miles,  J.  R.,  398. 

Miles,  J.  W.,  359. 

Miles,  Leonard,  359,  408. 

Miles,  Robert,  359. 

Miles,  S.,  351,  400. 

Miles,  Thomas,  202,  359. 

Miles,  W.  J.,  359. 

Miles,  Wright,  359. 

Militia,  218,  317,  320. 

Miller,  Alexander,  203. 

Miller,  Andrew,  117. 

Miller,  Constant,  503. 

Miller,  A.  H.,  311. 

Miller,  F.  M.,  349. 

Miller,  George,  357. 

Miller,  H.  A.,  525. 

Miller,  Henry,  212,  243. 

Miller,  Jane,  86,  243,  290. 

Miller,  J.  B.,  347,  398. 

Miller,  J.  G.,  350. 

Miller,  J.  J.,  350,  413. 

Miller,  John,  243. 

Miller,  J.  N.,  407. 

Miller,  J.  T.,  347. 

Miller,  Mary,  23. 

Miller,  Moses,  164,  202. 

Miller,  Samuel,  23,  202. 


584 


INDEX 


Miller,  Stephen,  105,  199,  202,  243. 
Miller,  Thomas,  203. 

Miller,  T.  N.,  380,  384. 

Miller,  William,  57,  86,  229. 

Miller,  W.  II.,  350. 

Miller,  Elam,  203,  223,  232,  238. 
Mills,  G.  W.,  405. 

Mills,  Jesse,  117. 

Mills,  John,  114,  117,  118,  122,  165. 
Mills,  R.  D.,  497,  520. 

Mills,  Robert,  217,  462. 

Mills,  S.  W.,  328. 

Mills,  Thomas,  117. 

Mills,  W.  J.,  408. 

Milton,  John,  37. 

Mims,  John,  246,  353. 

Mims,  S.  W.,  361. 

Mims,  Mrs.  S.  W.,  532. 

Mingo  School,  475. 

Mining  Reservations,  9. 

Ministers,  488,  489,  493. 

Mingoes,  71. 

Minutes  of  Church,  183. 

Mishoe,  F.,  473,  529. 

Missionary  Ridge,  399,  401. 
Mitchell,  Alexander,  290. 

Mitchell,  Thomas  R.,  269. 

Mitchell,  Walter,  485. 

Mitchum,  A.,  357,  370. 

Mitchum,  D.  M.,  503. 

Mitchum,  Charles,  347. 

Mitchum,  C.  H.,  400. 

Mitchum,  G.  K.,  344,  347. 
Mitchum,  H.,  353. 

Mitchum,  J.  B.,  353. 

Mitchum,  J.  S.,  347,  353,  361,  408. 
Mitchum,  R.  C.,  473. 

Mitchum,  S.,  406,  407. 

Mitchum,  S.  S.,  344,  348,  409. 
Mitchum,  S.  R.,  381. 

Mitchum,  T.  G.,  361,  362. 

Mitchum,  Thomas,  117. 

Mitchum,  W.  E.,  406,  407. 

Missola,  John,  409. 

Modlin,  J.  T.,  344. 

Moffett,  William,  117. 

Mon,  Jemima,  203. 

Monk,  T.,  143. 

Monk,  Thomas,  69,  151. 

Monroe,  Fortress,  413. 
Montgomery,  Alexander,  348. 
Montgomery,  Allie,  474. 
Montgomery,  D.  M.,  465,  507,  527. 
Montgomery,  C.  R.,  401. 
Montgomery,  Derry,  357. 
Montgomery,  Donald,  525. 
Montgomery,  Edgar,  413. 


Montgomery,  E.  L.,  499. 
Montgomery,  E.  T.,  320,  344,  347, 
348,  356,  442,  468. 

Montgomery,  Mrs.  E.  W.,  287. 
Montgomery,  George,  66. 
Montgomery,  H.  E.,  481,  499,  516. 
Montgomery,  Henry,  79,  84,  66,  152, 
239,  301,  343,  346,  384. 
Montgomery,  H.  J.,  398. 
Montgomery,  Hugh,  84,  117,  163, 
247,  249,  369. 

Montgomery,  Isaac,  203,  228,  239, 
347,  407. 

Montgomery,  J.  A.,  344,  347. 
Montgomery,  James,  117,  231,  239, 
408. 

Montgomery,  Jane,  239. 
Montgomery,  Jannet,  79,  203. 
Montgomery,  J.  B.,  343,  347,  348, 
405. 

Montgomery,  Jeleba,  80. 
Montgomery,  .J.  F.,  344,  347,  348, 
398,  407. 

Montgomery,  J.  J.  B.,  464,  465,  469, 
526. 

Montgomery,  Mrs.  J.  J.  B.,  532. 
Montgomery,  John,  202,  226,  229, 
236,  239,  243,  512. 
Montgomery,  J.  P.,  221. 
Montgomery,  J.  W.,  408. 
Montgomery,  Leonora,  277. 
Montgomery,  Mary,  79,  84. 
Montgomery,  M.  F.,  464,  516. 
Montgomery,  Mrs.  M.  F.,  472. 
Montgomery,  Miss  M.  L.,  469. 
Montgomery,  Nathaniel,  80,  118, 
163. 

Montgomery,  Norman,  116. 
Montgomery,  Robert,  63,  117. 
Montgomery,  Mrs.  Robert,  532. 
Montgomery,  Miss  R.  Z.,  469. 
Montgomery,  Samuel,  21,  33,  79,  80, 
87,  118,  117,  127,  163,  344,  345, 
347,  407. 

Montgomery,  Samuel  S.,  239. 
Montgomery,  Sarah,  79,  84. 
Montgomery,  S.  E.,  347,  409. 
Montgomery,  S.  I.,  343,  348. 
Montgomery,  S.  J.,  295,  301,  311, 
320,  348,  369,  400,  462,  465. 
Montgomery,  S.  F.,  473. 
Montgomery,  T.  W.,  408. 
Montgomery,  W.  J.,  344,  348,  402. 
Montgomery,  William,  79,  80,  84, 
153,  212,  239,  356,  409. 
Montgomery,  W.  R.,  243. 
Monument  Erected,  523. 


INDEX 


585 


Moody,  Joseph,  22. 

Moody,  James,  151. 

Mooney,  Daniel,  21.  142. 

Mooney,  John,  151. 

Moore,  Alfred,  474. 

Moore,  B.  C.,  405. 

Moore,  E.  E.,  405. 

Moore,  E.  H.,  311. 

Moore,  Felix,  512. 

Moore,  J.  C.,  527. 

Moore,  John,  21,  66,  142. 

Moore,  J.  P.,  405. 

Moore,  J.  W.,  309,  501. 

Moore,  L.  W.,  473. 

Moore,  Robert,  159. 

Moore,  Samuel,  328. 

Moore,  Sarah,  232. 

Moore,  William,  150,  164,  165,  203, 
232. 

Moorer,  W.  D.,  486. 

Moreton,  J.  F.,  384,  413. 

Moreton,  T.  N.,  384. 

Morgan,  II.  J.,  396. 

Morgan,  Margaret,  151. 

Morgan,  William,  21,  150,  151. 
Morland,  Peter,  222. 

Morley,  George,  39. 

Morris,  Augustus,  348. 

Morris,  Benjamin,  117. 

Morris,  E.,  203,  350. 

Morris,  George,  117. 

Morris,  G.  W.,  361. 

Morris,  H.  M.,  357. 

Morris,  J.  B.,  474. 

Morris,  J.  J.,  360,  464. 

Morris,  J.  M.,  344. 

Morris,  John,  117,  165,  203,  348. 
Morris,  J.  W.,  486. 

Morris,  P.  W.,  362. 

Morris,  R.  J.,  382,  487. 

Morris,  Bobert,  202,  343. 

Morris,  S.  P.,  360. 

Morris,  Thomas,  117. 

Morris,  William,  117,  165,  243,  487. 
Morris,  W.  J.,  357. 

Morritt,  Thomas,  53. 

Morse,  J.  T.,  405. 

Mosquitoes,  321,  534. 

Moss,  Wiliiam,  486. 

Moss  Grove  School,  475. 

Motte,  Stephen,  70. 

Moultrie,  Richard,  512. 

Mouzon,  Ann,  82,  220,  233. 

Mouzon,  B.  B.,  311. 

Mouzon’s  Bridge,  208,  209. 

Mouzon,  Mrs.  Carrie  M.,  469. 


Mouzon,  D.  K.,  344,  348,  359. 
Mouzon,  D.  N.,  295. 

Mouzon’s  Dwelling  Burned,  101. 
Mouzon,  Elizabeth,  82,  220. 
Mouzon,  E.  R.,  347. 

Mouzon,  Esther,  82. 

Mouzon,  Harpy,  512. 

Mouzon,  Henry,  25,  33,  82,  97,  102, 
106,  114,  128,  149,  163,  203,  207, 
208,  209,  233. 

Mouzon,  IJ.  H.,  469. 

Mouzon,  James,  82. 

Mouzon,  Jane,  82. 

Mouzon,  J.  P.,  344,  348,  356,  357, 
397,  407,  464. 

Mouzon,  Louis,  82. 

Mouzon,  L.  W.,  357. 

Mouzon,  Martha,  289. 

Mouzon,  Mary,  224,  82,  220. 
Mouzon,  Miss  M.  E.,  469. 

Mouzon,  M.  M.,  469. 

Mouzon,  Nancy,  289. 

Mouzon,  P.  B.,  412. 

Mouzon,  Peter,  82,  203,  208,  233. 
Mouzon,  R.  L.,  311. 

Mouzon,  Samuel,  82. 

Mouzon,  S.  A.,  230. 

Mouzon,  Samuel  R.,  203,  211,  218, 
229,  233,  289,  348,  357,  436, 
449,  469. 

Mouzon,  Sarah,  82. 

Mouzon,  Susannah,  82,  220,  233. 
Mouzon,  T.  R.,  296. 

Mouzon,  T.  M.,  317. 

Mouzon,  William,  233,  479. 
Mouzon,  W.  E.,  344. 

Mouzon,  W.  H.,  203,  225. 

Mouzon,  W.  J.,  361. 

Mouzon,  T.  M.,  527. 

Mouzon’s  Toll  Bridge,  211. 
Mouzon  School,  475. 

Moyd,  E.  I.,  350. 

Moyd,  I.  L.,  475. 

Moyd,  W.  R.,  357. 

“Much  the  Same,”  280. 

Muddy  Creek,  188. 

Muddy  Creek  School,  472. 

Mulberry  School,  474. 

Muldrow,  David,  241. 

Mulhollen,  Jannet,  164. 

Mulken,  James,  409. 

Muller,  T.  D.,  369. 

Munfordville,  385. 

Munn,  W.  J.,  383. 

Munnerlin,  W.  H.,  406,  408. 
Munnerly,  Jane,  202. 


586 


INDEX 


Murfee,  Moses,  163,  164. 
Murfreesboro,  383,  385. 

Murphy,  Agnes,  205. 

Murphy,  A.  J.,  241,  287. 

Murphy,  Archibald,  163,  203,  237. 
Murphy,  Catherine,  237. 

Murphy,  Edward,  117. 

Murphy,  Elizabeth,  228,  237,  241. 
Murphy,  James,  117,  241. 

Murphy,  J.  C.,  348. 

Murphy,  Jane,  237,  241. 

Murphy,  Jannet,  237,  241,  295. 
Murphy,  Jean,  237. 

Murphy,  John,  117,  237,  241,  289, 
295. 

Murphy,  Mary,  23,  236,  237,  241. 
Murphy,  Mary  A.,  287; 

Murphy,  Mary  C.,  241. 

Murphy,  Michael,  23. 

Murphy,  Moses,  247,  249. 

Murphy,  Sarah,  241,  290. 

Murphy,  S.  C.,  205. 

Murphy,  R.  A.,  348,  357. 

Murray,  Daniel,  22. 

Murray’s  Ferry,  18,  61,  207,  208, 
324,  326,  544. 

Murray’s  Ferry  Road,  61,  207. 
Murray,  James,  207,  218. 

Murray,  John,  165,  396. 

Murray,  J.  W.,  412. 

Murray,  Joseph,  61,  207. 

Murray,  Mary,  479. 

Murrell,  Anthony,  80. 

Murrell,  Elizabeth,  80. 

Murrell,  Jonathan,  80. 

Murrell,  Martha,  80. 

Murrell,  Mary,  80. 

Murrell,  Sarah,  80. 

Murrell,  Susannah,  80. 

Murrell,  William,  80,  117,  127. 
Murrell,  W.  M.,  233. 

Murrell,  W.  N.,  232. 

Muster  Days,  92. 

Myers,  Daniel,  25. 

Myers,  James,  225,  231. 

Myers,  W.  A.,  382. 

Myrick,  Carlyle,  503. 

Myrick,  Henry  C.,  512. 

Mt.  Hope  Church,  485. 

Mt.  Vernon  School,  474,  475. 

Mt.  Zion  College,  177. 

McAlpin,  Kenneth,  29. 

McBride,  Elizabeth,  82,  231. 
McBride,  Hugh,  116. 

McBride,  James,  83,  116,  144,  151, 


163,  179,  203,  222,  231. 
McBride,  John,  82,  83,  125,  142,  143, 
146,  152,  164,  223,  231. 
McBride,  M.  D.,  469. 

McBride,  Mary,  231. 

McBride,  Rebecca,  83,  126,  231. 
McBride,  Samuel,  83,  163,  231. 
McBride,  William,  83. 

McCabe,  John,  348. 

McCabe,  Mrs.  Marian,  510. 

McCabe,  R.  C.,  527. 

McCabe,  R.  J.,  481,  527. 

McCall,  James,  399. 

McCall,  Martha,  244. 

McCall,  Mary,  473. 

McCalla,  Jannet,  79. 

McCalla,  Jean,  79. 

McCalla,  Margaret,  79. 

McCalla,  Sarah,  79. 

McCalla,  William,  79. 

McCallister,  Ann,  223. 

Mc-Callister,  Catherine,  223. 
McCallister,  Charles,  26,  165,  203, 
223,  298. 

McCallister,  Elizabeth,  225. 
McCallister,  Ezekial,  223. 
MsCallister,  F.,  408. 

McCallister,  J.  E.,  359,  408. 
McCallister,  J.  M.,  359. 
McCallister,  John,  164,  202,  206, 
222,  223. 

McCallister,  J.  J.,  408. 

McCallister,  Mary,  223. 
McCallister,  Robert,  222. 
McCallister,  Sampson,  223. 
McCallister,  Sarah,  223. 
McCallister,  William,  223,  237,  383, 
398. 

McCallister,  W.  G.,  296. 

McCants,  A.  J.,  344,  259. 

McCants,  Alexander,  76,  164,  202. 
McCants,  David,  22,  116,  153. 
McCants,  F.  L.,  360,  383. 

McCants,  Frank,  408. 

McCants,  F.  S.,  408. 

McCants,  J.  E.,  408. 

McCants,  J.  G.,  347. 

McCants,  J.  J.,  349. 

McCants,  J.  M.,  487. 

McCants,  James,  84,  85. 

McCants,  H.  L.,  512. 

McCants,  John,  22,  62,  116. 
McCants,  J.  T.,  2S1,  382,  474. 
McCants,  Martha,  259,  281. 
McCants,  S.  E.,  409. 

McCants,  S.  J.,  408. 


INDEX 


587 


McCants,  Samuel,  203. 

McCants,  Thomas,  116,  118,  142, 
151,  163,  203,  246. 

McCants,  William,  116. 

McCants,  W.  R.,  474. 

McCarthy,  Margaret,  164. 

McCave,  David,  203. 

McChesney,  P.  S.,  481. 

McClam,  Bryant,  203. 

McClam,  C.  W.,  344,  405,  464,  465, 
486. 

McClam,  Daniel,  235. 

McClam,  E.  W.,  348. 

McClam,  J.  W.,  468. 

McClam,  Reddick,  512. 

McClam,  S.  M.,  405. 

McClam,  S.  W.,  350,  408. 

McClam,  Solomon,  203,  225,  235. 
McClam,  T.  L.,  358. 

McClam,  W.,  382,  405. 

McClary  School,  474. 

McClary,  Alexander,  240. 

McClary,  Ann,  289. 

McClary,  Barkley,  116. 

McClary,  Blackwell,  355. 

McClary,  Calvin,  295. 

McClary,  D.  C.,  344. 

McClary,  David,  179,  181,  202,  21S; 

220,  237,  290,  312. 

McClary,  D.  M.,  240,  346,  347,  406. 
McClary,  D.  R.,  289. 

McClary,  D.  S.,  240,  290,  407. 
McClary,  Elizabeth,  226. 

McClary,  G.  F.,  240,  343,  347,  398. 
McClary,  Hannah  R.,  240. 
McClary,  H.  G.,  512. 

McClary,  J.  C.,  357. 

McClary,  J.  F.,  398. 

McClary,  J.  H.,  357,  409. 

McClary,  J.  L.,  344,  346. 

McClary,  J.  M.,  357,  240. 

McClary,  James,  240,  312,  354. 
McClary,  Jean,  295. 

McClary,  John,  116,  142,  144,  145, 
146,  147,  151,  152,  164,  165,  182, 
198,  203,  208,  240. 

McClary,  J.  B.,  212,  237. 

McClary,  J.  J.,  236. 

McClary,  J.  R.,  226. 

McClary,  Leonora,  295. 

McClary,  M.  E.,  402. 

McClary,  M.  L.,  473. 

McClary,  M.  M.,  290. 

McClary,  Margaret,  240. 

McClary,  Mary,  237,  240,  289,  295, 
402. 


McClary,  Matthew,  116. 

McClary,  R.  B.,  348,  357,  407. 
McClary,  S.  A.,  344,  347,  407. 
McClary,  S.  B.,  240,  344,  348. 
McClary,  Samuel,  116,  202. 
McClary,  S.  G.,  237,  360,  361,  357. 
McClary,  S.  W.,  408,  500. 

McClary,  Sarah,  240,  290,  295. 
McClary,  Thomas,  116. 

McClary,  Willie,  474. 

McClary,  Willi  am  t  512. 

McClary,  Mrs.  William,  515. 
McClary,  W.  D.,  237. 

McClelland,  Andrew,  22. 
McClelland,  Bryce,  80. 

McClelland,  Christian,  78. 
McClelland,  Grizelle,  80. 
McClelland,  James,  20,  22,  45,  46, 
47,  48,  66,  75,  76,  80,  143,  152. 
McClelland,  Jane,  142. 

McClelland,  John,  80. 

McClelland,  Leonard,  80. 
McClelland,  Mary,  80. 

McClelland,  Samuel,  80,  143,  152, 
174. 

McCliDchy,  Alexander,  22. 

McClure,  D.  M.,  402. 

McConnell,  Ann  E.,  240. 

McConnell,  Augusta,  469. 
McConnell,  Catherine  A.,  241. 
McConnell,  Dick,  230. 

McConnell,  E.  H.,  381. 

McConnell,  Ebenezer,  222. 
McConnell,  Evelyn,  474. 

McConnell,  Francis,  222. 
McConnell,  Francis,  J.,  240. 
McConnell,  George,  144,  147,  151, 

202,  203,  229,  230,  232,  241, 

242,  243. 

McConnell,  H.  T.,  350. 

McConnell,  Hugh,  116. 

McConnell,  J.  T.,  349. 

McConnell,  J.  Z.,  350,  464,  527. 
McConnell,  James,  116,  144,  203, 

210,  223,  230,  232,  242,  243. 
McConnell,  James,  D.,  149,  150, 

469. 

McConnell,  Jannet,  330. 

McConnell,  John,  116. 

McConnell,  John  II.,  150,  243. 
McConnell,  L.  M.,  2S7. 

McConnell,  Mamie,  476. 

McConnell,  Margaret,  223,  239,  48, 
241. 

McConnell,  Mary,  74,  164,  202,  223, 
230,  242. 


588 


INDEX 


McConnell,  Mary  B.,  245. 
McConnell,  Mary  R.,  241. 
McConnell,  M.  B.,  469. 

McConnell,  Rachael,  232,  243. 
McConnell,  Richard,  475. 
McConnell,  Robert,  74,  140,  141, 
142,  145,  146,  147,  151,  152.  164, 
203,  232. 

McConnell,  Robert  F.,  240. 
McConnell.  Sarah,  230,  241,  242, 
243. 

McConnell,  Sarah  E.,  241. 
McConnell,  T.  A.,  407. 

McConnell,  T.  M.,  347. 

McConnell,  Thomas,  23,  57,  116, 
140,  141,  143,  144,  145,  151, 
153,  163,  196,  203,  211,  225, 
230,  232,  237,  242,  252,  253,  407. 
McConnell,  W.  P.,  232. 

McConnell,  William,  142,  152,  202, 
222,  221,  239. 

McConnell.  William,  G.,  232,  239. 
McConnell,  William  H.,  352,  398. 
McConnell,  William  S.,  241,  287, 
384. 

McKenzie,  J.  M.,  546. 

McCormick,  A.  P.,  465. 

McCormick,  Isabelle,  79. 
McCormick,  James,  79. 

McCormick,  John,  79. 

McCormick,  Mary,  23,  79. 
McCormick,  P.  B.,  347. 
McCormick,  Robert,  116. 
McCormick.  William,  22,  66,  79, 
152. 

McCottry,  David,  203. 

McCottry,  Joseph,  223,  229. 
McCottry,  F.  W.,  361. 

McCottry’s  Lake,  129. 

McCottry,  Mary,  203,  230,  242. 
McCottry,  M.  F.,  2°5. 

McCottry,  Nancy,  238. 

McCottry’s  Riflemen,  101,  109,  129. 
McCottry,  Robert,  49,  66,  87,  97, 
114,  128,  131,  165,  203,  223,  230. 
McCottry,  R.  F.,  357. 

McCown,  Alexander,  116. 

McCown,  David  79. 

McCown,  James,  51,  79. 

McCown,  John,  116. 

McCown,  Moses,  116. 

McCown,  Samuel,  116. 

McCown,  Thomas,  79. 

McCoy,  Charles,  70. 

McCrady’s  History,  124. 
McCracker,  David,  163. 

McCrea,  A.  J.,  357,  361. 


McCrea,  Albert  A.,  236. 

McCrea,  Alexander,  22,  57,  63,  66, 
79,  85,  123,  134,  203,  230,  231, 
245,  246,  249,  259,  264. 

McCrea,  Ann,  80. 

McCrea,  Esther,  240. 

McCrea,  Farquher,  165. 

McCrea,  F.  J.,  259. 

McCrea,  James,  153,  164,  357. 
McCrea,  James  A.,  355,  362,  382. 
McCrea,  Jane,  259. 

McCrea,  Janet,  123. 

McCrea,  John,  56,  79,  116,  213,  219. 
McCrea,  Joseph,  79,  80,  160,  165. 
McCrea,  Mrs.  M.  G.,  370. 

McCrea,  Margaret,  79,  264. 

McCrea,  Martha,  79. 

McCrea,  Mary,  80,  231. 

McCrea,  Peter,  357. 

McCrea,  Philip,  203,  235. 

McCrea,  Robert,  83. 

McCrea,  Sarah,  79,  240. 

McCrea,  Susannah,  164,  231,  247, 
249. 

McCrea,  Thomas  A.,  231,  244,  249, 
257. 

McCrea,  Thomas,  22,  33,  49,  57,  63, 
66,  66,  83,  89,  116,  164,  202,  203, 
220,  223,  231,  240,  249. 

McCrea,  William,  79,  83,  203. 
McCrea,  W.  M.,  348,  344. 
McCreight,  D.  B.,  343. 

McCreight,  James,  116. 

McCreary,  John,  116. 

McCullough,  Alexander,  203. 
McCullough,  E.  D.,  500. 
McCullough,  Elizabeth,  164. 
McCullough,  Elizabeth  H.,  230. 
McCullough,  F.  L.,  503. 
McCullough,  II.  A.,  349,  369. 
McCullough,  Henry,  64. 
McCullough,  Hugh,  116,  118,  142, 
144,  151,  153,  165,  301. 
McCullough,  J.  A.,  397,  500. 
McCullough,  Mrs.  J.  B.,  370. 
McCullough,  J.  E.,  347,  357,  407. 
McCullough,  J.  G.,  35,  464,  472, 
514,  516. 

McCullough,  J.  M.,  361. 
McCullough,  J.  S.,  344,  347,  362, 
382,  468. 

McCullough,  Jack,  503,  527. 
McCullough,  James,  56,  78,  116,  118, 
144,  151,  163. 

McCullough,  James  J.,  203. 
McCullough,  Jane,  82. 


INDEX 


589 


McCullough,  John,  33,  22,  6G,  116, 
153,  164,  165,  202,  203,  220, 
230,  503. 

McCullough,  J.  J.,  260. 

McCullough,  L.  P.,  360,  362. 

McCullough,  Martha,  370. 

McCullough,  Mary  J.,  370. 

McCullough,  Nathaniel,  22,  78,  116, 
118,  153,  203,  229. 

McCullough,  Robert,  177,  179. 

McCullough,  Sarah,  370. 

McCullough,  Thad,  503. 

McCullough,  Thomas,  151,  230. 

McCullough,  T.  J.,  241. 

McCullough,  W.  B.,  465,  468,  534. 

McCullough,  William,  85,  116,  163, 
179,  203,  220,  221,  222,  230. 
295,  344,  348,  362,  406. 

McCullough,  Will,  503. 

Mc-Cutchen,  D.  E,,  464,  465,  516. 

McCutc-hen,  Elizabeth  W.,  238. 

McCutehen,  F.  M.,  482. 

McCutchen,  G.  D.,  405. 

McCutehen,  George,  26,  49,  57,  164, 
198,  202,  221,  223,  231,  238, 
240,  245,  253,  259,  260,  265, 
274,  277,  279,  357. 

McCutchen,  Herbert  J.,  512. 

McCutchen,  Hugh,  203,  211,  218, 
221,  223,  229,  238,  243,  245,  264, 
463,  483,  499,  516,  545. 

McCutchen,  James,  22,  49,  116,  164, 
203,  218,  287,  289,  353,  379,  383, 
412,  440,  449,  454,  482. 

McCutchen,  J.  C.,  362,  408. 

McCutchen,  J.  G.,  465. 

McCutchen,  Joseph  W.,  238. 

McCutchen,  J.  W.,  311. 

McCutchen,  Martha,  295. 

McCutchen,  Mary,  241. 

McCutchen,  Mary  J.,  245. 

McCutchen,  Nancy,  238. 

McCutchen,  Robert  G.,  238,  302. 

McCutchen,  S.  C.,  298,  397. 

McCutchen,  Mrs.  S.  L.,  482. 

McCutchen,  Samuel,  487. 

McCutchen,  T.  M.,  357,  406,  407, 
469. 

McCutchen,  Thomas,  203,  238,  245. 
369,  396,  464,  499,  514,  515, 
516,  517. 

McCutchen,  W.  C.,  405. 

McCutchen,  William,  203,  223,  245. 

McDaniel,  Catherine,  243. 

McDaniel,  Daniel,  23,  71. 

McDaniel,  Elizabeth,  243. 

McDaniel,  Enos,  243. 


McDaniel,  Honour  B.,  243. 
McDaniel,  Isabella,  243. 

McDaniel,  J.  M.,  503. 

McDaniel,  James,  243. 

McDaniel,  John,  71. 

McDaniel,  Mary,  23,  243. 

McDaniel,  Randol,  243. 

McDaniel,  Thomas,  244. 

McDaniel,  Varina,  472. 

McDaniel,  Z.  H.,  532. 

McDole,  William,  22. 

McDonald,  Adam,  10,  13,  57,  163, 
207. 

McDonald,  Archibald,  92,  114,  118, 
120,  125,  163,  186. 

McDonald,  A.  C.,  234. 

McDonald,  Catherine  L..  235. 
McDonald,  Daniel,  163,  226. 
McDonald,  Edward,  402. 

McDonald,  Eliza  M.,  235. 
McDonald,  Elizabeth,  24,  259. 
McDonald,  Enos,  246,  259. 
McDonald,  Esther,  84. 

McDonald,  E.  J.,  242. 

McDonald,  Francis,  116. 

McDonald,  George,  269. 

McDonald,  G.  K.,  353,  397. 
McDonald,  Hester,  402. 

McDonald,  Isabella,  245. 

McDonald,  James,  92,  116,  202,  246, 
383. 

McDonald,  Jane,  165. 

McDonald,  Jane  M.,  259. 
McDonald,  John,  24,  71,  84,  116, 
163. 

McDonald,  Laura,  186. 

McDonald,  Louisa  A.,  235. 
McDonald,  Mary,  245,  259. 
McDonald,  Mary  E.,  234. 
McDonald,  Mrs.  Rachael,  118. 
McDonald,  Randol,  246,  343. 
McDonald,  S.  M.,  398. 

McDonald,  Sam,  163,  352. 
McDonald,  Sergeant,  110. 
McDonald’s  Company,  413. 
McDonald,  Susan,  186. 

McDonald,  Susannah  E.,  235. 
McDonald,  T.  E.,  234. 

McDonald,  W.  N.,  224,  234,  235. 
McDonald,  William,  26,  153,  186, 
199,  203,  234. 

McDowell,  Catherine  D.,  240. 
McDowell,  E.  A.,  486,  516,  517. 
McDowell,  Forgas,  165. 

McDowell,  James,  79,  114,  114,  116, 
481,  483. 

McDowell,  John,  57,  23,  164. 


590 


INDEX 


McDowell,  Lucretia,  23. 

McDowell,  Samuel,  163. 

McDowell,  William,  116,  163,  164. 
McElroy,  Andrew,  203,  223. 
McElroy,  Elizabeth,  223. 

McElroy,  James,  223. 

McElroy,  John,  223. 

McElroy,  Mary,  142,  223. 

McElroy,  Samuel  A.,  223. 

McElroy,  William,  165,  179,  203, 
223. 

McElveen,  B.  W.,  474. 

McElveen,  Mrs.  G.  A.,  472,  532. 
McElveen,  G.  A.,  302,  513,  514,  516. 
McElveen,  G.  G.,  344,  362. 
McElveen,  Henry,  222. 

McElveen,  J.  D.,  312. 

McElveen,  J.  P.,  344. 

McElveen,  J.  V.,  464,  513. 
McElveen,  James,  204,  222,  229,  231. 
McElveen,  James  II.,  240. 
McElveen,  Jane,  222. 

McElveen,  John,  22,  85,  142,  290. 
McElveen,  Margaret,  222. 
McElveen,  Mary,  222. 

McElveen,  R.  C.,  375,  483,  514,  516. 
McElveen,  Rebecca,  241. 

McElveen,  Thomas,  222. 

McElveen,  Walter,  503. 

McElveen,  Wista,  472. 

McElveen,  William,  116,  164,  203, 
222,  302. 

McElveen,  W.  II.,  302,  369,  440,  468. 
McEwen,  David,  22. 

McEwen,  James,  22. 

McFadden,  Edward,  116. 
McFadden,  James,  85,  203,  220, 
226,  231,  236,  240,  245,  253, 
264. 

McFadden,  Jane,  E.,  264. 
McFadden,  J.  F.,  487,  498,  514. 
McFadden,  J.  L.,  500. 

McFadden,  John,  66,  185,  85,  116. 
McFadden,  Marian,  475,  524. 
McFadden,  Mary,  85. 

McFadden,  McBride,  510. 
McFadden,  Robert,  85,  164. 
McFadden,  Sarah  Margaret,  321. 
McFadden,  Thomas,  85,  116,  118, 
185. 

McFadden,  W.  D.,  302,  361. 
McFadden,  W.  S.,  382. 

McFadden,  William,  116,  118,  202, 
226,  264,  322. 

McFadden,  Hugh,  226. 

McFarland,  William,  25. 


McGavy,  J.  PI.,  357. 

McGee,  Daniel,  202. 

McGee,  Elizabeth,  23. 

McGee,  Gadsden  G.,  359. 

McGee,  James,  22,  116. 

McGee,  J.  C.,  400. 

McGee,  John,  350. 

McGee,  John,  J.,  359,  408. 

McGee,  P.,  351,  398. 

McGee,  Pleasant,  399. 

McGee,  Thomas,  115,  116. 

McGee,  W.  E.,  352. 

McGee,  William,  23,  57,  116,  164. 
McGill,  Beth,  515. 

McGill,  Elizabeth,  289,  203. 

McGill,  Elizabeth  A.,  244. 

McGill,  Hugh,  22,  77,  153. 

McGill,  J.  W.,  516. 

McGill,  Mrs.  J.  Y.,  532. 

McGill,  J.  Y.,  538. 

McGill,  James,  203,  233. 

McGill,  J.  G.,  224,  149,  153,  220, 
221,  228,  245. 

McGill,  J.  B.,  237. 

McGill,  John,  116,  118,  202,  246, 
256. 

McGill,  Margaret  S.,  237. 

McGill,  Mary,  233. 

McGill,  Mary  A.,  246,  244. 

McGill,  Mary  M.,  264. 

McGill,  Mary  N.,  259. 

McGill,  Minto  W.,  2S7. 

McGill’s  Reminiscences,  382,  526. 
McGill,  Roger,  70,  77,  164. 

McGill,  Samuel,  101,  102,  116,  161, 
202,  229,  243,  244,  246,  256., 
259.  274,  275,  276,  277,  278, 
279,  320,  427,  430,  491,  526,  527. 
McGill,  S.  D.,  259,  317,  34S,  380, 
381,  284,  464,  467,  501. 

McGill,  Sarah,  77. 

McGill,  Sarah  A.,  370. 

McGill,  Sarah  E.,  287. 

McGill,  William,  202. 

McGinnes,  Alexander,  25. 
McGinnes,  A.  J.,  244. 

McGinnes,  Thomas,  116. 

McGinney,  Charles,  116,  118. 
McGinney,  Daniel,  24,  57. 
McGinney,  James,  163,  224. 
McGinney,  Samuel,  165. 

McGinney,  Susannah,  24. 

McGrath,  A.  G.,  341. 

McGregor,  A.  L.,  224. 

McGregor,  David,  31. 

McGuirt’s  Branch,  192. 


INDEX 


591 


McGirt,  James,  23,  71. 

McGirt,  Priscilla,  23. 

McGirt’s  Swamp,  18. 

McGuirt’s  Swamp  Road,  208. 
McIntosh,  A.  W.,  503. 

McIntosh,  J.  D.,  473. 

McIntosh,  John,  23,  70. 

McIntosh,  Junius  M.,  509,  528. 
McIntosh,  L.  R.,  525. 

McIntosh,  Lachien,  166. 

McIntosh,  Mary,  23. 

McIntosh,  R.  W.,  384. 

McIntosh,  W.  K.,  538,  539,  547. 
McIntosh,  William,  185. 

Mclntree,  Thomas,  163. 

Mclver,  David,  25,  34. 

Mclver,  John,  62. 

McKable,  Alexander,  165. 
McKathan,  Thomas,  62. 

McKee,  Adam,  86,  116. 

McKee,  Ann,  82. 

McKee,  Archibald,  82,  86,  143,  226. 
McKee,  Elizabeth,  82,  86,  226. 
McKee,  James,  164. 

McKee,  John,  163,  165. 

McKee,  Joseph,  85,  86,  118,  163, 
179,  203,  226. 

McKee,  Martha,  86. 

McKee,  Philip,  225. 

McKee,  Robert,  116,  118. 

McKee,  Thomas,  116. 

McKee,  W.  B.,  377. 

McKeithan,  Donegal,  25. 

McKinney,  Thomas,  158. 

McKenzie,  A.  B.,  475. 

McKenzie,  Angus,  524. 

McKenzie,  Daniel,  241. 

McKenzie,  Daniel  S.,  359. 
McKenzie,  D.  D.,  508. 

McKenzie,  F.  W.,  397. 

McKenzie,  Mrs.  Garfield,  515. 
McKenzie,  J.  M.,  409. 

McKenzie,  J.  Monroe,  516. 
McKenzie,  J.  N.,  475,  514,  515. 
McKenzie,  J.  R.,  408. 

McKenzie,  John,  114,  122,  241. 
McKenzie,  Mary,  241. 

McKenzie,  Nancy,  241. 

McKenzie,  N.,  361. 

McKenzie,  Peter,  241. 

McKenzie,  Sam,  194,  241,  343. 
McKenzie,  Shadrack,  347. 
McKenzie,  William,  122,  241. 
McKindru,  John,  163. 

McKissick,  Archie,  165. 

McKissick,  W.  W.,  352. 


McKnelly,  James,  164. 

McKnight,  Mrs.  A.  C.,  186,  370. 
McKnight,  A.  Isaac,  296,  317. 
McKnight,  Alexander,  34,  202,  222, 
223,  224,  231,  238. 

McKnight,  Allan,  164,  247,  249. 
McKnight,  B.  B.,  351. 

McKnight,  B.  E.,  475,  538. 
McKnight,  H.  M.,  311. 

McKnight,  Isaac,  143. 

McKnight,  J.  J.,  350. 

McKnight,  John  G.,  343. 

McKnight,  James,  85,  163. 
McKnight,  Jane,  264. 

McKnight,  John,  66,  116,  164,  222, 
351,  3S3,  399. 

McKnight,  John  J.,  408. 

McKnight,  J.  EL,  359. 

McKnight,  Mary,  85. 

McKnight,  Moses,  116. 

McKnight,  R.  I.,  351. 

McKnight,  Robert,  85,  116,  118,  165, 
384. 

McKnight,  Thomas,  85,  163. 
McKnight,  T.  M.,  359. 

McKnight,  W.  EL,  359. 

McKnight,  W.  M.,  344,  347,  361, 
398,  414,  415. 

McKnight,  W.  G.,  397. 

McKnight,  W.  P.,  538. 

McKnight,  William,  22,  66,  85,  153. 
McLaughlin,  John,  203. 

McLaurin,  John,  229. 

McLeod,  Catherine,  289. 

McLeod,  Cornelius,  292. 

McMahan,  Edward,  22. 

McMelly,  Mary,  165. 

McRane,  Daniel,  165. 

McMillan,  R.  A.,  440. 

McMuldrow,  Andrew,  117. 
McMuldrow,  David,  117. 
McMuldrow,  Hugh,  117. 
McMuldrow,  James,  117. 
McMuldrow,  John,  117. 
McMuldrow,  William,  117. 
McMulkin,  James,  383. 

McMullen,  Hugh,  163. 

McMurray,  Elizabeth,  228. 
McMurray,  James,  203,  228. 
McMurray,  Mary  A.,  228. 

McNally,  John,  25,  70. 

McNaemee,  John,  350. 

McNealy,  Henry,  203. 

McNeedy,  William,  63. 

McPherson,  Elias,  56. 

McPherson,  Elizabeth,  23. 


592 


INDEX 


McPherson,  James,  23,  54,  56,  57. 
McPherson,  J.  P.,  282,  284. 
McPherson,  William,  116. 

McQuoid,  Elizabeth,  17,  81. 
McQuoid,  Robert,  17. 

McWhite,  W.  H.,  352. 

McWhorter,  C.  G.,  185,  191. 

Nashville,  Battle,  408. 

Natural  Ruling  Element,  440. 
Naval  Stores  Products,  528. 
Negligence,  Criminal,  445. 

Negroes,  6. 

Negro  Body  Servants  Pensioned, 
356. 

Negro  Labor,  453. 

Negro  Legislators,  447. 

Negro  Legislature,  44S. 

Negro  Schools,  478. 

Nero,  a  Slave,  450. 

Negro  Slave  Owners,  338. 

Nero  Steals  Hogs,  286. 

Neill,  J.  C.,  377. 

Nelson,  Ashton,  T.,  512. 

Nelson,  Beulah,  524. 

Nelson,  Mrs.  Christina  J.,  524. 
Nelson,  Eleanor,  80. 

Nelson,  Elizabeth,  80. 

Nelson,  George,  49,  80. 

Nelson,  G.  P.,  357,  361,  455,  462, 
465,  518. 

Nelson,  Helen,  49. 

Nelson,  H.  G.,  406. 

Nelson,  Isaac,  84,  117,  118,  144, 
183,  184,  198,  204,  206,  212,  219, 
232,  233,  244,  245,  290,  312. 
Nelson,  Isabelle,  80. 

Nelson,  James  M.,  361. 

Nelson,  Jane,  80. 

Nelson,  Jared,  80. 

Nelson,  John,  49,  80,  103,  114,  120, 
121,  134. 

Nelson,  J.  W.,  469. 

Nelson,  Mary,  80. 

Nelson,  Matthews,  22,  80. 

Nelson,  Letitia,  165. 

Nelson,  Samuel,  80,  117. 

Nelson,  Mrs.  S.  A.,  469. 

Nelson,  Thomas,  117. 

Nelson,  Warehouse  Sales,  539. 
Nelson,  William,  62,  63,  71,  80,  115, 
117,  118,  204,  206,  208,  233. 
Nelson,  W.  R.,  311. 

Nelson,  T.  S.,  356,  357,  406,  407. 
Nesbit,  James,  166. 

Nesmith,  B.  L.,  396,  531. 


Nesmith,  Daniel  C.,  363,  383. 
Nesmith,  Eliza,  204. 

Nesmith,  Elizabeth,  165. 

Nesmith,  Flora,  516. 

Nesmith,  G.  T.,  350. 

Nesmith,  Joannah,  287. 

Nesmith,  John,  25,  29,  76,  117,  127, 
134,  149,  165,  175,  204,  216,  219, 
222,  234,  369. 

Nesmith,  John  F.,  245. 

Nesmith,  John  L.,  383,  408. 
Nesmith,  Lemuel,  117,  127,  204,  234, 
245. 

Nesmith,  L.  W.,  496. 

Nesmith,  Margaret,  240. 

Nesmith,  Martha,  234. 

Nesmith,  Mary,  234,  287. 

Nesmith,  Marie  A.,  245. 

Nesmith,  M.  D.,  527. 

Nesmith,  N.  D.,  165. 

Nesmith,  Nathaniel,  350,  398. 
Nesmith,  Post  Office,  531. 

Nesmith,  Robert,  117,  127,  165,  204, 
234,  245,  353,  408. 

Nesmith,  R.  J.,  531. 

Nesmith,  Samuel,  56,  76,  77,  84,  92, 
117,  127,  165,  304,  224,  234,  245. 
Nesmith,  Sarah,  234. 

Nesmith  School,  473. 

Nesmith,  Solon,  538. 

Nesmith,  Thomas,  117. 

Nesmith,  W.  B.,  384. 

Nesmith,  W.  E.,  405,  464,  469,  497, 
500,  514,  516,  546. 

Nesmith,  W.  P.,  469,  349,  397. 
Nettles,  Isham,  166. 

Nettles,  James  C.,  359. 

Nettles,  J.  R.,  350,  379,  380,  383. 
Nettles,  J.  W.,  485. 

Nettles,  Joseph,  117. 

Nettles,  Robert,  117. 

Nettles,  S.  I.,  351. 

Nettles,  S.  J.,  400. 

Nettles,  W.  IJ.,  454. 

Nettles,  W.  J.,  369. 

Neverfail  School,  475. 

Newell,  Janie,  472. 

Newman,  J.  R.,  501. 

Newman,  Thomas,  70. 

Newsom,  S.  B.,  328,  488. 

Newton,  James  W.,  360. 

Nexsen,  J.  A.,  344,  349,  397,  468. 
Nexsen,  W.  I.,  498,  499,  520. 

New  Town,  519. 

The  “New  Built,”  15. 

New  England  Townships,  137. 


INDEX 


593 


New  Enterprises,  519. 

New  Hampshire,  3. 

“New  Lichts,”  173. 

New  York  Herald,  345. 

New  Market  Methodist  Church, 
487. 

Nicholson,  John,  22. 

Nigger  Fiddlers,  308. 

Night,  Thomas,  165. 

Norton,  Allen,  235. 

Norton,  Jacob,  204,  235. 

Norton,  J.  H.,  357. 

Norton,  Margaret  A.,  246. 

Norton,  Miles,  235,  246. 

Norton,  Thomas  G.,  512. 

North  Britain,  27. 

North  Carolina,  1. 

North’s  Ferry,  208. 

North,  Thomas,  25. 

North,  Lord,  95. 

North,  William,  245. 

Nowell,  L.  C.,  425. 

Nullifiers,  268. 

Nullification  Coventions,  267. 
Nullification  Movement,  266. 

Oak  Ridge  School,  475. 

O’Bryan,  J.  D.,  499,  504,  510,  513, 
527. 

O’Bryan,  John,  157,  166. 

O’Bryan,  W.  M.,  498,  514,  515,  527. 
Odear,  Samuel,  204. 

Odom,  Aaron,  204. 

Odom,  J.  A.,  408. 

Odom,  Thomas,  408. 

Odom,  William  W.,  359. 

Officials,  Colonial,  91. 

Officers  in  World  War,  505. 
Ogburn,  Hugh,  292. 

Ogburn,  W.  C.,  360,  399. 

Ogelby,  Daniel,  166. 

Ogelby,  Lewis,  166. 

Oliver,  D.  II.,  502,  532. 

Oliver,  II.  D.,  529. 

Oliver,  II.  L.,  486. 

Oliver,  Id.  J.,  503. 

Oliver,  J.  W.,  301. 

Oliver,  Mary,  23. 

Oliver,  P.  M.,  239. 

Oliver,  Robert,  23. 

Oliver,  William,  117. 

“On  Credit  of  State,”  448. 

O’Neal,  Henry,  25,  71. 

O’Neill,  John,  166. 

O’Neill,  John  B.,  315. 

Original  Settlers,  21. 

Orr,  John,  166. 


Orr,  Mary,  166. 

Orr,  William,  22,  85,  117,  153. 
Osburn,  A.  C.,  399. 

Osborne,  C.  S.,  232. 

Osborn,  E.  C.,  399. 

Osborn,  Jesse,  194. 

Osborn,  J.  B.,  475. 

Osborn,  J.  C.,  350. 

Outgrown  Shell,  548. 

Oven,  Dutch,  121. 

Overseers,  257. 

Owen,  David  M.,  153. 

Owen,  D.  S.,  409. 

Owens,  James,  166. 

Owens,  James  A.,  409. 

Owens,  J.  M.,  465,  487. 

Owens,  Mary  H.,  224. 

Owens,  Peter,  166,  224. 

Owens,  S.  H.,  360. 

Owens,  Stephen,  224. 

Owens,  W.  D.,  468. 

Owens,  Zacine,  224. 

Owens,  Zacliariah,  204,  208. 

Owens,  Jeremiah,  166. 

Owings,  Eleanor,  473. 

Ox  Swamp  School,  474. 

Pace,  W.  Id.,  349. 

Paisley,  Elizabeth,  238. 

Paisley,  Hannah,  204,  229. 

Paisley,  Hugh,  167,  204,  238,  252, 
260. 

Paisley,  James,  81. 

Paisley,  Janet,  238. 

Paisley,  John,  81,  117,  165. 

I’aisley,  Mary,  81. 

Paisley,  Peter,  167. 

Paisley,  Robert,  20,  48,  81,  85,  114, 
133,  166. 

Paisley,  Sarah,  229. 

Paisley,  Sarah  G.,  238. 

Paisley,  Susannah,  229,  238. 
Paisley,  Thomas,  166. 

Paisley,  William,  81,  166,  167,  238. 
Palatines,  39. 

Palmetto  Battalion,  361. 

“Palmy  Days,”  304. 

Parade  Ground  Divided,  146. 
Parham,  J.  H.,  35S. 

Park,  E.  J.,  487. 

Parker,  Alexander,  351,  383. 
Parker,  E.  J.,  328,  468. 

Parker,  James  R.,  359. 

Packer,  Jannet,  76. 

Parker,  J.  B.,  347. 

Parker,  Jesse,  359. 

Parker,  John,  167. 


594 


INDEX 


Parker,  J.,  362. 

Parker,  N.  S.,  351. 

Parker,  Patrick,  530. 

Parker,  N.  G.,  400. 

Parker,  William,  204,  343. 

Parker,  W.  H.,  359. 

Parker,  W.  K.,  347,  405. 

Parkison,  John,  167. 

Parler,  Ida  Lee,  472. 

Parnell,  H.  N.,  473. 

Parnell,  James,  117. 

Parochial  Schools,  305. 

Parsons,  Amos,  166,  204. 

Parsons,  A.  J.,  347,  468. 

Parsons,  Ann,  246. 

Parsons,  David,  245,  246. 

Parsons,  E.  G.,  407. 

Parsons,  Elizabeth,  204. 

Parsons,  Elizabeth  P.,  246. 

Parsons,  F.  F.,  382,  408. 

Parsons,  F.  R.,  348. 

Parsons,  Jack,  480. 

Parsons,  James,  117. 

Parsons,  J.  C.,  407. 

Parsons,  Joseph,  245,  246. 

Parsons,  J.  W.,  473. 

Parsons,  Mary,  204,  245. 

Parsons,  Sarah,  204. 

Parsons,  S.  L.,  515. 

Parsons,  Solomon,  204,  245. 
Parsons,  Mrs.  Susannah,  118. 
Parsons,  W.  H.,  348,  398. 

Parsons,  W.  J.,  469. 

Parsons,  William,  167,  204,  246. 
Parrott,  R.  J.,  473. 

Pass,  R.  L.,  500. 

Party  Primaries,  465. 

Pate,  Charles  H.,  527. 

Pate,  E.  M.,  501. 

Pate,  Joseph,  351. 

Patrick,  James,  117. 

Patrick,  Joshua,  117. 

Patrick,  T.  E.,  405. 

Patterson,  Andrew,  26,  152,  166, 
204,  231,  235,  237. 

Patterson,  A.  L.,  204. 

Patterson,  Jane  H.,  237. 

Patterson,  Jannet,  204,  237. 
Patterson,  John,  170. 

Patterson,  Margaret,  237. 
Patterson,  Mary,  295. 

Patterson,  Mary  M.,  229. 

Patterson,  Robert,  204. 

Patterson,  R.  J.,  237,  244,  357,  407. 
Paul,  Walter,  512. 

Pawley,  George,  70. 

Payne,  John,  166. 


Pearson,  Philip,  291,  302. 

Peden,  A.  G.,  279,  280,  281. 

Pell,  Gilbert,  166. 

Pee  Dee  Regiment,  121. 

Pee  Dee  River,  139. 

Pelt,  John,  406. 

Pendergrass,  Darby,  188. 
Pendergrass,  B.  P.,  297. 
Pendergrass,  B.  R.,  343. 
Pendergrass,  J.,  440. 

Pendergrass,  J.  C.,  469. 
Pendergrass,  J.  M.,  343,  406,  407. 
Pendergrass,  Patrick,  117. 
Pendergrass,  S.  F.,  343. 
Pendergrass,  T.  J.,  516. 

Penn  School,  474. 

Pennyfather,  John,  151. 

Peoples  Bank,  Hemingway,  502. 
Perdreau,  Abraham,  25. 

Perdreau,  Alexander,  227. 
Perdreau,  Elizabeth,  228. 

Perdreau,  John,  117,  118,  127,  164, 
191,  204,  227,  232,  235,  244. 
Perdreau,  Samuel,  191,  204,  227, 
228,  235. 

Pergamos  School,  473. 

Perineau,  Henry,  243. 

Perkins,  Augustus,  328,  354. 
Perkins,  Mrs.  T.  M.,  482. 

Perkins,  David,  166. 

Perkins,  Lewis,  166. 

Perkins,  Mary,  166. 

Permits,  Teachers,  476. 

Perrit,  Abraham,  166,  207. 

Perrit,  Ann,  204,  221,  244. 

Perritt,  Edward  T.,  191. 

Perritt,  Francis,  166,  204. 

Perritt,  Francis  W.,  244. 

Perritt,  James,  166. 

Perritt,  Peter  E.,  204,  244. 

Perry,  John,  169. 

Perry,  Julia,  80. 

Perry,  R.  D.,  483. 

Perry,  W.  D.,  358. 

Perryville,  385. 

Peter,  a  Servant,  355. 

Petersburg,  Battle,  408. 

Peterson,  James,  460. 

Petition,  67 

Petition,  Black  River,  59. 

Petrie,  George  H.  E.,  290. 
Pettiaguas,  252. 

Pettingil,  C.  H.,  440. 

Pettigrew,  James,  135, 136,  153,  166. 
Pettigrew,  J.  J.,  338. 

Pettigrew’s  Report,  338. 
Pewholders,  Prince  Frederick’s,  53. 


INDEX 


595 


Pewholder’s  voting,  173. 

Philips,  Anthony,  23. 

Philips,  D.  A.,  488. 

Physicians,  527. 

Physicians  prior  to  1860,  317. 
Phillips,  Tom,  503. 

Phillips,  W.  T.,  473. 

Pick,  27. 

Pickens,  Ezekiel,  209. 

Pickett,  Evander,  359. 

Pickett,  John  R.,  292. 

Pierson,  Philip,  483. 

Pierson,  Robert,  528. 

Pigott,  Nathaniel,  166. 

Pillory  Erected,  316. 

Pills,  390. 

Pilkinton,  DuRay,  166. 

Pilkerton,  John,  166. 

“Pine  Bark  Stew”,  533. 

Pine  Grove  Church,  194,  197. 

Pine  Tree,  428. 

Pine  Forest  School,  474. 

Pipkin,  Hugh,  475. 

Pipkin,  L.  H.,  399,  408. 

Pipkin,  L.  K.,  360. 

Pipkin,  R.,  382. 

Pipkin,  W.  I.,  350. 

Pipkin,  W.  J.,  383,  384. 

Pitman,  A.  M.,  486. 

Pitman,  Isaac,  204. 

Pitt,  William,  95. 

Pittman,  J.  H.,  536. 

Pittman,  N.  T.,  485. 

Pittman,  N.  G.,  328. 

“Plant  ’um  Early,”  543. 

Plat,  Elizabeth,  167. 

Player,  E.  J.,  362. 

Player,  F.  M.,  363. 

Player,  I.,  408. 

Player,  I.  C.,  502. 

Player,  J.  B.,  474,  538. 

Player,  J.  C.,  476,  501. 

Player,  J.  G.,  353,  398,  406,  407. 
Player,  J.  M.,  348. 

Player,  J.  T.,  398. 

Player,  L.,  398. 

Player,  Sylvester  D.,  353. 

Player,  S.  T.,  395. 

Player,  Thomas,  70. 

Plexico,  Frances,  474. 

Plowden,  Edward,  10,  13,  22,  33, 
57,  142. 

Plowden,  Hanna,  490. 

Plowden,  J.  E.,  473. 

Plowden,  John,  92. 

Plowden,  Mary  J.,  239. 

Plowden,  M.  H.,  490. 


Plowden,  S.  M.,  357. 

Post  Office  in  Williamsburg,  317. 
Political  &  Social,  1745,  87. 
Political  Debauch,  449. 

Political  Thought,  266. 

Pollard,  James,  22. 

Ponpon  River,  3. 

Pontovine,  Samuel,  66. 

“Poor  Protestants,”  35,  38. 

“Poor  Whites,”  433. 

Popery,  36. 

Pope,  E.,  382. 

Pope,  Thomas  T.,  512. 

Popular  Hill  Swamp,  196. 
Population,  1920,  539. 

Port,  Benjamin,  166. 

Port,  Francis,  166. 

Port  Royal,  378. 

Port,  Thomas,  92,  250,  384. 

Porter,  Benjamin,  133,  167,  247, 
249. 

Porter,  Charles,  484. 

Porter,  D.  J.,  312. 

Porter,  E.  J.,  317,  440,  527. 
Porter,  E.  T.,  399. 

Porter,  James,  80. 

Porter,  J.  H.,  361. 

Porter,  J.  M.,  358. 

Porter,  John,  22,  45,  46,  66,  80,  142, 
166,  167. 

Porter,  Mary,  80. 

Porter,  Minnie,  484. 

Porter,  William,  166. 

Posted,  Henry,  153. 

Postell,  Hugh,  114. 

Posted,  James,  114,  131. 

Posted,  John,  117. 

Poston,  Andrew,  351,  352,  398. 
Poston,  B.,  351. 

Poston,  B.  A.,  352. 

Poston,  B.  D.,  398. 

Poston,  II.  A.,  354,  398,  407. 

Poston,  H.  L.,  529. 

Poston,  Isaac,  3S2. 

Poston,  James,  166. 

Poston,  J.  H.,  352. 

Poston,  J.  J.,  474. 

Poston,  J.  L.,  352. 

Boston,  John,  166. 

Poston,  Joseph,  167. 

Poston,  Larry,  530. 

Poston,  M.  M.,  352. 

Poston,  Mrs.  N.  O.,  469. 

Poston  School,  476. 

Poston,  T.  W.,  352. 

Poston,  W.,  352. 

Poston,  W.  H.,  398,  399. 


596 


INDEX 


Poston,  W.  L.,  352. 

Potatoes,  412. 

Potato  Ferry,  10,  1S9,  210. 

Potato  Ferry  Road,  60,  207,  209. 
Potter’s  Raiders,  429. 

Potts,  Ann,  SO. 

Potts,  Elizabeth,  80. 

Potts,  Margaret,  SO. 

Potts,  Mary,  SO. 

Potts,  Rebecca,  204. 

Potts,  Sarah,  80. 

Potts,  Thomas,  25,  57,  80,  131,  166, 
204. 

Potts,  William,  166. 

Powe,  Elizabeth,  119. 

Powell,  C.,  408. 

Powell,  E.,  408. 

Powell,  George,  25. 

Powell,  J.,  405. 

Powell,  J.  M.,  359. 

Powell,  J.  S.,  352. 

Powell,  S.  C.,  352. 

Powell,  S.  E.,  382. 

Powell,  W.  R.,  405. 

Powers,  T.  D.,  502. 

Pratt,  J.  H.,  527. 

Prelacy,  36. 

Presbytery  of  S.  C.,  176. 
Presbyterianism,  36. 
Presbyterianism  Regnant,  171. 
Pres.  Church  of  Williamsburg,  272. 
Presbyterian  Churches,  1923,  483. 
Presbyterian  factions,  172. 
Presbyterian  Ministers,  481,  483. 
Presbyterian  Missionaries,  55. 
Presbyterians,  27. 

Pressley,  Ann,  11. 

Pressley,  David,  45. 

Pressley,  Eleanor,  82. 

Pressley,  Eliza,  237. 

Pressley,  Elizabeth,  241,  264. 
Pressley,  H.  M.,  398,  407. 

Pressley,  H.  P.,  516. 

Pressley,  Isabella,  77. 

Pressley,  James  F.,  237,  241,  349, 
377,  406,  408,  412,  429,  430,  440, 
527,  380. 

Pressley,  Jane,  82,  225. 

Pressley,  John,  22,  66,  77,  143,  151, 
204,  225,  226,  230,  234,  237,  245. 
Pressley,  John  B.,  241,  368,  369. 
Pressley,  John  G.,  237,  297,  311, 
317,  320,  341,  343,  346,  363,  379, 
406,  440,  464,  528. 

Pressley,  Margaret,  82. 

Pressley,  Martha,  237. 

Pressley,  Mary  B.,  237,  242. 


Pressley,  Sarah,  82,  241. 

Pressley,  Susannah,  82. 

Pressley,  Thomas,  487. 

Pressley,  William,  22,  45,  66,  75,  82, 
87,  153,  264. 

Pressley,  William  J.,  237,  241. 
Price,  Henry,  70,  166,  204,  226. 
Price,  J.,  399. 

Price,  Jane,  224,  259. 

Price,  J.  B.,  468,  469. 

Price,  John,  204,  224,  259. 

Price,  Margaret,  226. 

Price  and  Newsome,  297. 

Price,  William  H.,  259. 

Prices  of  Articles,  404. 

Prince  Frederick’s  Church,  24,  53, 
55. 

Prince  Frederick’s  Parish,  9,  53, 
213. 

Princeton,  305. 

Princeton  Seminary,  176. 

Pringle,  J.  J.,  141. 

Pringle,  Robert,  151. 

Printing  Cost,  1871,  448. 

Prison,  Elmira,  414. 

Pritchard,  Simon,  166. 

Pritchard,  Stephen,  166. 

Pritchett,  W.  R.,  475,  483. 
“Produce,”  548. 

Products,  1920,  539. 

Products,  1923,  547. 

Prohibition  Sentiment,  342. 
Promising  Young  Men,  494. 
Prospect  M.  Church,  487. 
Prosperity,  539. 

Prosser,  H.  L.,  499,  524. 

Prosser,  Tim,  382. 

Prosser,  M.  B.,  352. 

Prosser,  Nathan,  352. 

Prosser,  Sarah,  235. 

Protestants  only  Admitted,  303. 
Provisions  Furnished,  12. 

Pruitt,  Lillie,  472. 

Public  School  Building,  149. 
Puckett,  J.  R.,  186. 

Pudding  Swamp  Road,  61,  208. 
Pulpit  Hidden,  174. 

Punch,  Nicholas,  204. 

Puncheons,  189. 

Purtanism,  37,  180,  254,  271. 
Puritanism  Again,  281. 

Puritanism  Triumphant,  532. 
Purse,  William,  237,  238. 

Purvis,  Sarah,  24. 

Purvis,  William,  24. 

Pygott,  Nathaniel,  70. 


INDEX 


597 


Qualifications  for  Voting,  213. 
Queues  Worn,  256. 

Quorum,  Justices,  92. 

Race  Courses,  256. 

Race  Track,  137. 

Racing  Days,  307. 

Rae,  Christian,  228. 

Rae,  John,  18,  78,  47,  48,  81,  75. 
Rae,  Rachael,  81. 

Raffell,  Margaret,  159. 

“Ragged  Remnant,”  413. 

Ragin,  Henry,  344,  398. 

Ragin,  H.  J.,  361. 

Ragin,  T.  E.,  344,  349,  407,  409. 
Railway,  A.  C.  L.,  528. 

Railway,  N.  E.,  324. 

Railway,  Weldon,  406,  408. 
Rambert,  Joachern,  167. 

Ramsay’s  Revolution,  124. 
Ramsbottom,  C.  F.,  486. 

Raney,  Herbert,  167. 

Ransom,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  469. 
Raphield,  James,  167. 
Rappahannock,  398. 

Rasberry,  Nathaniel,  167. 

Rasted,  C.,  440. 

Ratchford,  Mary,  473. 

Ratchford,  R.  H.,  483 
Rawlinski,  Mrs.  M.  J.,  531. 

Rawls,  Elisha,  167. 

Ravebelle,  Allen,  512. 

Rawdon,  108. 

Ray,  E.  T.,  350. 

Reagin,  P.,  358. 

Reagin,  T.  E.,  358. 

Reardon,  Sampson,  514. 

Reagin,  William,  26. 

Reardon,  W.  C.,  241. 

Reaves,  Benjamin,  167. 

Reaves,  James,  167. 
Reconstruction,  440. 

Rectory,  St.  Alban’s,  485. 

Red  Cross,  513. 

Reddick,  H.  D.,  487. 

Redman,  Annie,  473. 

Redemption  Campaign,  454. 

Red  House,  104. 

Red  Shirt  Companies,  445. 

Reed’s  Academy,  305. 

Reed,  G.  W.,  351,  400. 

Reed,  Hugh,  167,  207. 

Reed,  John,  114. 

Reed,  William,  135,  136,  167,  168, 
206,  251. 

Reese,  Joseph,  195. 


Reese,  Thomas,  177,  179. 

Reeves,  Benjamin,  117. 

Refugees,  436. 

Regiment,  Craven,  70. 

Regimental  Musters,  318. 

Register,  A.  R.,  473. 

Register,  C.  E.,  498. 

Register,  D.  W.,  510. 

Register,  E.  C.,  505. 

Register,  J.  F.,  498,  527. 

Register,  J.  W.,  501,  515. 

Rekberg,  C.  H.,  501. 

Rekoboatk  M.  Church,  301. 

Reid,  Mary,  204. 

Reid,  William,  204. 

Religious  Amusements,  277. 
Religious  Denominations,  480. 
Rembert,  Elijah,  189. 

“Repel  Raids,”  401. 

Repentance  and  non-repentance, 
261. 

Republican  Congress,  438. 
Republican  Rule,  441, 
Representatives  in  Legislature,  311. 
Retaliation,  421. 

Retreat  School,  476. 

Revolutionary  Soldiers,  114. 
Revolutionary  War,  94. 

Rhem,  D.  D.,  475. 

Rhem,  Furney,  327,  328,  498,  538. 
Rhem,  L.  F.,  539. 

Rhem,  Mrs.  L.  F.,  532. 

Rhoad,  G.  T.,  488. 

Rhodes,  John,  167. 

Rhodus,  Ann,  23. 

Rliodus,  Daniel,  84. 

Rhodus,  David,  221. 

Rhodus,  E.  B.,  501,  529. 

Rhodus,  E.  D.,  498. 

Rhodus,  G.  D.,  487. 

Rhodus,  Joel  D.,  353. 

Rhodus,  John,  221. 

Rhodus,  Joseph,  22,  23,  152. 
Rhodus,  Mary,  221. 

Rhodus,  Nathaniel,  221. 

Rhodus,  Solomon,  167,  221. 
Rhodus,  Thomas,  1S5. 

Rhodus,  William,  221. 

Rich,  N.  G.,  295,  317,  34S,  441. 
Rich,  W.  D.,  527. 

Riche,  Anthony,  167. 

Riche,  James,  167,  204. 
Richardson,  David,  167. 
Richardson,  Elizabeth,  226. 
Richardson,  John,  500. 

Richardson,  J.  B.,  209. 

Richardson,  J.  S.,  226. 


598  INDEX 


Richardson,  Richard,  71. 
Richardson,  S.  M.,  486. 
Richardson,  William,  226. 
Richburg,  James,  117,  118. 
Richburg,  J.  E.,  482. 

Richburg,  Margaret,  78. 

Richburg,  Rene,  25. 

Rice  Planting  District,  248. 

Rice,  John  A.,  487. 

Ridout,  John,  485. 

Rigden,  Ephraim,  167. 

Riggs,  Agnes,  473. 

Righteousness,  Civic,  463. 

Riser,  Nina,  470. 

Risher,  Codnelia,  473. 

Roads  and  Bridges,  443. 

Road  Building,  544. 

Roads  and  Ferries,  207. 

Roads  in  1860,  323. 

Roberts,  Peter,  167. 

Roberts,  W.  M.,  474. 

Rock  Branch  School,  475. 
Rochingham,  R.  W.,  312. 

Robertson,  Peter,  71. 

Robinson,  Ann,  204. 

Robinson,  John,  22,  117,  167,  207, 
513. 

Robinson,  L.  D.,  360. 

Robinson,  William,  117. 

Rodgers,  Andrew,  117. 

Rodgers,  Claron,  413. 

Rodgers,  David,  226. 

Rodgers,  David  P.,  234. 

Rodgers,  Elizabeth,  360. 

Rodgers,  Eli,  413. 

Rodgers,  Elmer,  515. 

Rodgers,  E.  L.,  472. 

Rodgers,  Furman,  413,  430. 
Rodgers,  Isaac,  167,  204. 

Rodgers,  Jacob,  486. 

Rogers,  John,  117,  399,  204,  222. 
Rodgers,  James  W.,  360. 

Rodgers,  J.  F.,  360,  474,  485. 
Rodgers,  J.  M.,  473. 

Rodgers,  J.  S.,  473. 

Rodgers,  L.  D.,  525. 

Rodgers,  Mary,  224. 

Rodgers,  Mary  A.,  226. 

Rodgers,  Margaret,  222,  226. 
Rodgers,  Micajah,  167,  204. 
Rodgers,  M.  I.,  402. 

Rodgers,  Nathaniel,  117. 

Rodgers,  R.,  382. 

Rodgers,  R.  E.,  362. 

Rodgers,  Shadrack,  167. 

Rodgers,  Stephen,  413. 

Rodgers,  S.  R.,  405. 


Rodgers,  Thomas,  149,  150,  204,  226, 
250. 

Rogers,  William,  204,  226. 

Rodgers,  W.  C.,  527. 

Rodgers,  William  F.,  241,  301,  402. 
Rogers,  W.  N.  Y.,  311,  344,  405, 
430. 

Rodgers,  W.  R.,  397. 

Rodgers,  William  T.,  117. 

Rollins,  C.  D.,  527. 

Rollins,  C.  J.,  531. 

Rollins,  G.  T.,  361,  363. 

Rollins,  J.  L.,  297,  486. 

Rollins,  J.  T.,  486. 

Rollins,  R.  D.,  362,  408,  464,  496. 
Rollins,  W.  C.,  500. 

Rolls,  Club,  466. 

Roman  Catholics,  27,  489. 

Romish  Wolves,  171. 

Rose,  Thomse,  241. 

Rosecran’s  385. 

Ross,  Jane,  143. 

Ross,  J.  A.,  512. 

Ross,  Lorena,  470. 

Ross,  M.  A.,  485,  520. 

Rough  Branch  M.  Church,  297. 
Rough  Branch  School,  473. 

Roulet,  John,  159. 

Round  O.,  120. 

Rouse,  R.  A.,  468. 

Row,  Ebenezer,  360. 

Row,  J.  N.,  360. 

Rowe,  J.  E.,  416. 

Rowell,  D.  Z.,  527. 

Rowell,  Jeremiah,  26. 

Rowell,  John,  70. 

Rowell,  J.  H.,  473,  501. 

Rowell,  Rebecca,  204. 

Rowell,  William,  209. 

Rowell,  W.  T.,  409,  464,  473,  501, 
514,  515. 

Roland,  Abraham,  167. 

Roland,  Benjamin,  167. 

Roland,  Elizabeth,  167. 

Rowlin,  Margaret,  167. 

Royal  African  Co.,  6. 

Royal,  James,  167. 

Rumors,  365. 

Runnels,  Mary,  76. 

Ruel,  Benjamin,  170. 

Rush,  E.  W.,  347. 

Rush,  Frederick,  292. 

Russ,  D.  R.,  382. 

Russ,  J.  B.,  350.  383. 

Russell,  Andrew,  167. 

Russell,  Jeremiah,  196. 

Russell,  Simon  T.,  486. 


INDEX 


599 


Russell,  Thomas,  107. 

Rutledge,  Andrew,  22,  69,  143. 
Rutledge,  B.  H.,  357. 

Sabb,  Anna,  82. 

Sabb,  Deborah,  82. 

Sabb,  Elizabeth,  82. 

Sabb,  Mary,  82. 

Sabb,  Morgan,  114,  117,  118,  132, 
245,  268. 

Sabb,  Thomas,  82. 

Sabb,  William,  82,  102. 
Sacramental  Communion  Meetings, 
309. 

Saddlecloths  of  Fine  Linen,  429. 
Salem  Church,  48. 

Salem  Female  Academy,  305. 
Salem  Black  River,  181,  185. 

Salt  Scarce,  31. 

Salters,  J.  A.,  311,  353,  355,  358, 
370,  397,  402,  440,  516,  530. 
Salters,  Jane  M.,  402. 

Salters,  John,  409. 

Salters,  Mrs.  Mary,  118. 

Salters,  Mary  E.,  402. 

Salters  M.  Church,  487. 

Salters,  Peter,  26,  117. 

Salters  Post  Office,  531. 

Salters,  Sarah,  289. 

Salters  School,  473. 

Salters,  Mrs.  S.  M.,  469. 

Salters,  T.  E.,  468,  473,  487. 

Salters,  William,  183,  184,  204,  218, 
231,  232,  234,  239,  242,  245. 
Sam,  a  Black  Man,  260. 

Saunders,  George,  24. 

Saunders,  Hannah,  24. 

Saunders,  J.  C.,  346,  347. 

Saunders,  J.  H.,  361. 

Saunders,  William,  23. 

Sand-Hills  Camp  Meeting,  182,  191. 
Sandy  Bay  School,  475. 

Santee  Canal,  128. 

Santee  Circuit,  186. 

Santee  River,  3. 

Santee  River  Road,  60. 

Sasser,  David,  529. 

Sauls,  E.  H.,  359,  530. 

Sauls,  E.  S.,  350,  398,  400,  406,  408. 
Sauls,  Evander  G.,  359. 

Sauls,  H.,  397. 

Sauls,  James,  400. 

Sauls,  J.  N.,  530. 

Sauls,  J.  W.,  350. 

Savage,  Nathan,  168. 

Savage  Station,  382. 

Savannah  River,  3. 


Sawmill,  first,  251. 

Seabrook,  Thomas,  163. 

“Searching  eats,”  392. 

Sease,  R.  W.,  527. 

Sease,  T.  O.,  473. 

Sea wright,  James,  152. 

Secession,  341. 

Secession  Clubs,  341. 

Secession  Convention,  1852,  337. 
Secession  Convention,  341. 
Secession  Flags,  341. 

Second  Bull  Run,  382. 

Second  ’76,  454. 

Sectionalism,  214. 

Seed  Cotton  Troubles,  450. 

Sellers,  M.  M.,  405. 

Sellers,  William,  117. 

Sellers,  W.  L.,  516,  527. 

Seining  in  Black  River,  316. 
Seminole  Indian  War,  319. 

Sere,  Noah,  25. 

Sessions  of  Court,  217. 

Sessions,  Edward,  205. 

Sessions,  John,  168,  204,  229. 
Sessions,  Richard,  205. 

Sessions,  William,  168. 

Seven  Pines,  382. 

Sexton,  Edward,  117. 

Scallawags,  452. 

Scarcity  of  Ministers,  480. 

Scarf,  Edward,  167. 

Scarf,  William,  168. 

School  Districts,  467. 

School  Funds,  1801,  468. 

School  Funds,  1922,  479. 

Schools  in  County,  476. 

School  Officials,  1923,  471. 

School  Progress,  471. 

Schwartz,  M.,  349. 

Scipper,  A.  B.,  398. 

Seipper,  G.  W.,  398,  400. 

Scison,  Ebenezer,  168. 
Schoolmasters,  5. 

Scotch-Irish,  27. 

Scotch-Irish  Colony,  10. 
Scotch-Irish  Migrate,  2S. 

Scott,  Albert,  290. 

Scott,  Amelia,  289. 

Scott,  Arabella,  24. 

Scott,  Alexander,  66,  70,  81,  117, 
168,  204,  205,  223,  513. 

Scott,  A.  Winfield,  354. 

Scott,  B.  F.,  344,  361,  382. 

Scott,  Caroline,  289. 

Scott,  Katherine,  83. 


600 


INDEX 


Scott,  David  C.,  430,  470,  473,  49G, 
497,  519,  520,  521,  527. 

Scott,  Mrs.  D.  C.,  513,  514,  515,  523, 
524. 

Scott,  E.  B.,  344,  361,  384. 

Scott,  Elizabeth,  81,  83,  123,  229. 
Scott,  Eugenia  P.,  370. 

Scott,  George  C.,  354. 

Scott,  Gillespie,  201. 

Scott,  Helen,  470. 

Scott,  Hester  Jane,  12. 

Scott,  Isabelle,  83. 

Scott,  James,  22,  66,  81,  117,  143, 
152,  168. 

Scott,  Janet,  81. 

Scott,  Jannet,  83,  123,  204,  229,  246. 
Scott,  Jean,  83. 

Scott,  J.  F.,  290,  349,  398,  525. 
Scott,  John,  10,  22,  24,  29,  47,  66, 
69,  76,  81,  83,  85,  87,  88,  97, 
118,  123,  140,  141,  142,  149,  151, 
152,  168,  179,  204,  205,  219,  220, 
226,  229,  230,  231,  236,  523. 
Scott,  John  Ervin,  40,  236,  297,  320, 
349,  361,  382,  397,  430,  446. 
Scot t,  J.  H.,  503,  512. 

Scott,  John  L .,  358,  400. 

Scott,  Joseph,  83,  97,  106,  114,  123, 
143,  145,  147,  149,  152,  168,  205, 
236,  251,  256,  289,  311,  522. 
Scott,  Joseph  A.,  290. 

Scott,  Julia  E.,  370. 

Scott,  Junius  E.,  398,  400,  406,  414. 
Scott,  J.  W.,  281. 

Scott,  James  W.,  354,  382. 

Scott,  Louisa,  233. 

Scott,  Margaret,  76,  83,  122,  123, 
289. 

Scott,  Margaret  G.,  81. 

Scott,  Mary,  83,  123,  289. 

Scott,  Mrs.  Mary,  370. 

Scott,  Mary  G.,  382. 

Scott,  Maurice,  527. 

Scott,  M.  M.,  407. 

Scott,  Moses,  83. 

Scott,  Rebecca,  290. 

Scott,  Rebecca  C.,  281. 

Scott,  R.  F.,  349,  381. 

Scott,  Rebecca  Gordon,  236. 

Scott,  Robert  K.,  439. 

Scott,  S.  A.,  381. 

Scott,  Samuel,  81,  83,  117,  122,  204, 
222,  231,  236,  245,  246,  279,  284, 
288. 

Scott,  Samuel  A.,  359,  407. 

Scott,  Sarah,  83,  85. 


Scott,  S.  McBride,  295,  343,  397, 
464. 

Scott,  Susannah  Theresa,  522. 
Scott,  Lieutenant,  409. 

Scott,  Thomas,  66,  81,  83,  117,  227. 
Scott,  Thomas  G.,  57. 

Scott,  T.  M.,  469. 

Scott,  Walter,  472. 

Scott,  W.  D.,  469. 

Scott,  Winfield,  320. 

Scott,  William,  22,  57,  70,  71,  81, 
83,  117,  118,  153,  442,  460,  468. 
Scott,  W.  D.,  226,  290. 

Scott,  W.  R.,  236,  290,  311,  312, 
481,  499,  515,  525. 

Scott,  W.  P.,  344,  383. 

Scranton  Red  Shirt  Co.,  456. 
Screven,  Ann,  227. 

Screven,  Benjamin,  81,  82,  92,  118, 
134. 

Screven,  Elisha,  24,  34,  35,  48,  69, 
81,  195. 

Screven,  Elizabeth,  81,  83. 

Screven,  Hannah,  81,  82. 

Screven,  John,  195,  227. 

Screven,  Joseph,  81. 

Screven,  Joshua,  81,  82. 

Screven,  Rebecca,  83. 

Screven,  Robert,  24. 

Screven,  Samuel,  81. 

Screven,  William,  24,  34,  76,  81,  82, 
195. 

Scrime,  Thomas,  210. 

Scurry,  E.  M.,  350,  384,  400. 
Scurry,  John  C.,  362. 

Scurry,  W.  J.  C.,  347. 

Scythians,  27. 

Shackelford,  Jean,  167. 

Shade  Trees  Planted,  150. 
Shannon,  Samuel,  84. 

Shaper,  W.  A.,  214. 

Sharp,  Mamie  Lou,  472. 
Sharpsburg,  383. 

Shaving  Notes,  254. 

Shaw,  Agnes,  289. 

Shaw,  A.  J.,  349,  376. 

Shaw,  B.,  352. 

Shaw,  Daniel,  23,  53,  117. 

Shaw,  David,  226. 

Shaw,  Elizabeth,  226. 

Shaw,  H.  D.,  183,  198,  240,  241,  289, 
290,  293,  347,  402,  408. 

Shaw,  Mrs.  H.  D.,  370. 

Shaw,  J.  M.,  402. 

Shaw,  Joe,  357. 

Shaw,  John,  226. 

Shaw,  J.  P.,  362. 


INDEX 


601 


Shaw,  Lillie,  226. 

Shaw,  Peter,  226. 

Shaw,  R.  H.,  358. 

Shaw,  Sarah,  23,  226. 

Shaw,  William,  117,  226. 

Shealds,  John,  168. 

Sheed,  John,  168. 

Shell,  J.  W.,  409. 

Shepard,  H.  N.,  501. 

Shepard,  William,  25. 

Shepard’s  Ferry,  104. 

Sheriff,  Henry,  47. 

Sherman  Takes  Columbia,  427. 
Sherman,  W.  T.,  416. 

Shirer,  Edward,  503. 

Shirer,  P.  C.,  473. 

Short  Rations,  421. 

Skrine,  Thomas,  168. 

Shuler,  M.  A.,  472,  513,  514,  516, 
525,  527. 

Shuler,  Mrs.  M.  A.,  524. 

Simon,  Joseph,  161. 

Sinclair,  Carrie  Belle,  373. 

Sinclair,  James,  25,  373. 

Sims,  David,  115. 

Simms’  Life  of  Marion,  124. 
Simms,  Thomas,  117,  118. 
Simmons,  Mrs.  A.  L.,  469. 

Simons,  Caroline,  484. 

Simons,  Due,  168. 

Simons,  Mary  L.,  228. 

Simons,  Peter,  92. 

Simons,  Shadrack,  117,  208. 
Simons,  Thomas  Y.,  454. 

Simonton,  Charles  H.,  379. 
Singletary,  Agnes,  204. 

Singletary,  Agnes  R.,  264. 
Singletary,  Barfield,  482. 
Singletary,  B.  F.,  382,  405. 
Singletary,  Duncan,  482. 

Singletary,  Ebenezer,  168,  204,  205, 
235. 

Singletary,  E.  J.,  347,  405. 
Singletary,  Elizabeth,  233. 
Singletary,  Eliza,  235. 

Singletary,  H.,  358. 

Singletary,  Henry,  241. 

Singletary,  Hesther  J.,  241. 
Singletary,  H.  H.,  468. 

Singletary,  Mrs.  H.  H.,  482. 
Singletary,  Miss  H.  S.,  469. 
Singletary,  I.  D.,  360. 

Singletary,  Isaac,  149. 

Singletary,  Isaac  F.,  227. 
Singletary,  Jacob,  233,  246. 
Singletary,  J.  C.,  408. 

Singletary,  J.  D.,  497. 


Singletary,  J.  E.,  469. 

Singletary,  John,  238. 

Singletary,  John  D.,  205. 
Singletary,  Joseph  S.,  233. 
Singletary,  Lamar,  482. 

Singletary,  Lyda,  227. 

Singletary,  Richard,  26. 

Singletary,  Samuel,  204. 

Singletary,  Sarah,  238. 

Singletary  School,  474. 

Singletary,  S.  J.,  317,  465. 
Singletary,  S.  M.,  358. 

Singletary,  Sophronia  P.,  238. 
Singletary,  Virginia  V.,  482. 
Singletary,  W.  D.,  358,  459. 
Singletary,  W.  J.,  463. 

Singletary,  W.  R.,  468. 

Singletary,  W.  W.,  509. 

Singleton,  Albert,  469. 

Singleton,  Benjamin,  118. 
Singleton,  B.  V.,  497. 

Singleton,  Esther,  242. 

Singleton,  Esther  G.,  238. 
Singleton,  Mrs.  Henry  B.,  186. 
Singleton,  Henry  B.,  242. 

Singleton,  Hester,  290. 

Singleton,  James  D.,  218. 
Singleton,  John,  24. 

Singleton,  John  D.,  235. 

Singleton,  J.  S.,  369. 

Singleton,  Mary,  24,  242. 

Singleton,  Mary  B.,  237. 

Singleton,  Mary  M.,  242. 

Singleton,  Matthew,  26. 

Singleton,  Mrs.  M.  L.,  481. 
Singleton,  M.  M.,  232,  290. 
Singleton,  Richard,  117. 

Singleton,  Sarah,  237,  264. 
Singleton,  T.  D.,  218,  204,  225,  226, 
228,  232,  237,  242,  245,  268, 
269,  270,  289,  311,  312,  317. 

S inkier,  John,  24. 

Sinkler,  Mary  B.,  24. 

Sinkler,  Peter,  117,  118. 

Sinnott,  W.  I.,  483,  516. 

Skrines  Ferry,  208. 

Slaves,  41,  247. 

Slaves,  1745,  87. 

Slaves  Deserting,  428. 

Slave  Labor  Profitable,  331. 

Slave  Owners  in  Williamsburg,  332. 
Slave  Values,  257. 

Slavery  and  Secession,  329. 

Slaves  value  in  1860,  338. 

Sloan,  James,  360,  361. 

Small,  Christopher,  168. 

Small,  J.  C.,  360. 


602 


INDEX 


Small,  W.  C.,  350. 

Small,  W.  F.,  358. 

Small,  William,  211. 

Smiley,  Samuel,  116. 

Smiley,  William,  117. 

Smiley,  W.  J.,  463,  515,  530,  538. 
Smith,  Abner,  168,  204,  231. 

Smith,  Adam,  168,  264. 

Smith,  A.  J.,  468, 

Smith,  Bartow,  465,  472. 

Smith,  Benjamin,  168. 

Smith,  B.  S.,  488. 

Smith,  B.  S.  M.,  350. 

Smith,  Charles  B.,  488. 

Smith,  D.  C.,  352. 

Smith,  Daniel  H.,  302,  475. 

Smith,  D.  M.,  347,  407. 

Smith,  Elizabeth,  360. 

Smith,  E.  J.,  469. 

Smith,  Everett,  360. 

Smith,  E.  M.,  348,  464. 

Smith,  Francis  H.,  359. 

Smith,  Francis  N.,  353. 

Smith,  Henry,  168,  196,  205. 

Smith,  Henry  J.,  241. 

Smith,  Hugh,  168. 

Smith,  Isaac,  292. 

Smith,  James,  22,  117,  151,  168,  231, 
360. 

Smith,  Jane,  238. 

Smith,  J.  E.  M.,  350. 

Smith,  John,  117,  167,  168,  360. 
Smith,  John  A.,  359. 

Smith,  John  H.,  241,  350. 

Smith,  James  H.,  399,  400. 

Smith,  J.  G.,  360. 

Smith,  J.  K.,  499. 

Smith,  John  M.,  343. 

Smith,  K.,  405. 

Smith,  Katie  Lou,  475. 

Smith,  Lemuel,  488. 

Smith,  L.  E.,  473. 

Smith,  Leroy  Watson,  511. 

Smith,  Margaret,  290. 

Smith,  Michael,  54. 

Smith,  Mollie,  231. 

Smith,  N.  P.,  360. 

Smith,  Noah,  204,  235. 

Smith,  Olive,  515. 

Smith,  Pat,  231. 

Smith,  R.  B.,  464,  481. 

Smith,  R.,  360. 

Smith,  R.  S.,  406,  407,  408. 

Smith,  R.  W.,  465,  472,  538. 

Smith,  S.,  360. 

Smith,  S.  D.,  351,  399. 

Smith,  Simon,  231. 


Smith,  T.  K.,  499. 

Smith,  Thomas,  168,  522. 

Smith,  Wesley,  360. 

Smith,  William,  117,  168. 

Smith,  W.  B.,  360. 

Smith,  W.  C.,  481. 

Smith,  W.  D.,  351. 

Smith,  W.  E.,  487,  524. 

Smith,  William  W.,  353. 

Smith  Swamp  School,  476. 

Smooth  Bore  Rifles,  399. 

Smyth,  Thomas,  168. 

Snyder,  A.  M.,  362,  527. 

Snyder,  J.  Henry,  486. 

Snow,  Ann,  81. 

Snow,  Emmie,  472. 

Snow  Balling,  394. 

Snow,  George,  81. 

Snow,  Henry,  224. 

Snow,  James,  81,  117,  168,  248,  487. 
Snow,  Jeremiah,  302,  396. 

Snow,  John,  81,  134. 

Snow,  J.  J.,  531. 

Snow,  J.  P.,  469. 

Snow,  Mary,  23,  81. 

Snow,  Nathaniel,  52,  81,  224. 

Snow,  Philip,  233. 

Snow,  William,  23,  92, 117,  119,  168. 
Snow’s  Island,  105,  110. 

Snowden,  Elizabeth  M.,  236. 
Snowden,  H.  P.,  474. 

Snowden,  James,  230. 

Snowden,  L.,  152. 

Snowden,  Mary,  236. 

Snowden,  P.  D.,  482. 

Snowden,  Percy,  538. 

Snowden,  Samuel,  146,  152,  153, 
204,  208,  236. 

Snowden,  Samuel  J.,  280,  2S6,  284, 
289,  320,  357,  380,  430,  464,  469. 
Snowden,  Samuel  M.,  236. 

Snowden,  Sarah,  264. 

Snowden,  Thomas  J.,  236. 
Snowden,  W.  D.,  468. 

Snowden,  W.  E.,  464,  469,  516. 
Snowden,  William,  236. 

Soap  Scarce,  411. 

Social  Recreation,  306. 

Society,  Propagation  of  Gospel,  45. 
Socinianism,  172. 

Soft  hands,  433. 

Soldiers’  boxes,  371. 

Soldiers  Families  Aided,  368. 
Soldiers  in  Field,  379. 

Somerhoeff,  John  Peter,  24. 
“Somerton”,  35. 

“Something  must  be  done,”  542. 


INDEX 


603 


“Songs  of  Labor,”  332. 

Sons  of  Temperance,  288. 

South  Carolina  Ind.  Republic,  136. 
S.  C.  Medical  College,  305. 

South  Island,  3S5. 

Spaniards,  2. 

Spanish  American  War,  503. 
Sparkman,  Richard,  168. 

Spears,  William,  168. 

Speights,  Elias,  349,  359. 

Speights,  J.  M.,  349,  397. 

Speigner,  Elizabeth,  472. 

Speigner,  Raymond,  464. 

Speigner,  R.  N.,  499. 

Speigner,  R.  W.,  480,  4S8. 

Spinning  Wheel,  375. 

Spit  Fire  Abolitionists,  339. 

Spivey,  A.  B.,  474,  501. 

Spivey,  William,  114. 

Spooner,  J.  F.,  358. 

Spooner,  T.  J.,  358,  407. 
Spottsylvania,  407. 

Spring,  Ann,  167,  204,  222,  223. 
Spring  Bank  School,  475. 

Spring,  Cornelius,  222. 

Spring,  George  W.,  383. 

Spring  Gulley  School,  474. 

Spring,  R.,  351. 

Spring,  Richard,  204. 

Spring,  Robert,  168,  204,  240,  400. 
Spry,  Elizabeth,  85. 

Spry,  Jean,  85. 

Spry,  John,  85. 

Spry,  Phineas,  60. 

Spry,  Rebecca,  85. 

Spry,  Royal,  85. 

Stackley,  Annie,  525. 

Stackley,  L.,  468,  470,  520,  525. 
Stackley,  L.  J.,  487. 

Stackley,  S.  P.,  473. 

Stage  Line,  397. 

Staggers,  Barbary,  168. 

Staggers,  Elizabeth,  295. 

Staggers,  George,  242. 

Staggers,  James,  527. 

Staggers,  James  M.,  297,  485. 
Staggers,  John,  117,  118,  168,  205, 
228,  233,  242. 

Staggers,  J.  W.,  317,  485,  527. 
Staggers,  Martin,  150,  153,  204,  225, 
228,  242. 

Staggers,  Susannah,  290. 

Staggers,  William,  204,  242,  150, 
297. 

St.  Alban’s  E.  Chapel,  484. 

St.  Amand,  C.  E.,  528. 

Stamp  Act,  94. 


Standard  Lowered,  459. 

Stapleton,  Levi,  167. 

Stapleton,  Sarah,  167. 

Starnes,  Charles,  168. 

Stark,  L.  B.,  377. 

Starne,  Charles,  22,  69,  151. 

“Start  Something,”  456. 

State  Convention,  1787,  135. 
Statement  of  Indiantown  Session, 
273. 

States  Rights  Question,  311. 

St.  David’s  Church,  187. 

Steam  Engine,  first,  251. 

Steele,  Clara,  472. 

Steele,  E.  C.,  484. 

Steele,  Mrs.  J.  B.,  514. 

Steele,  James,  117. 

Steele,  John,  206,  231. 

Steele,  J.  J.,  349,  351,  405,  465. 
Steele,  Thomas,  204,  243,  343. 
Steele,  T.  S.,  349,  405,  430. 

Steele’s  Company,  405,  430. 

Steele,  William,  117. 

Stephens,  Caleb,  205,  235. 
Stephenson,  A.  E.,  360. 

Stephenson,  James,  164. 
Stephenson,  J.  W.,  258. 

Stephenson,  John,  204. 

Stephenson,  Thomas,  180. 
Stephenson’s  Labor,  178. 
Stevenson,  James  W.,  177,  181,  182, 
254. 

Stevens,  Ruben,  167. 

Stewart,  Alexander,  117. 

Stewart,  Hugh,  117. 

Stewart,  J.  W.,  475. 

Stewart,  Mary,  230. 

Still,  Agnes,  78. 

St.  John’s  School,  475. 

St.  Louis,  Daniel  E.,  512. 

St.  Mark’s  Church,  186. 

St.  Mark’s  Parish,  55. 

Stocks,  Evander,  360. 

Stoll,  C.  W.,  469,  498,  499,  516,  515, 
520,  525,  528. 

Stoll,  J.  C.,  363,  412. 

Stoll,  Philip  H.,  463,  487,  505,  527. 
Stone,  Austin,  168,  204,  244. 

Stone,  B.  II.,  487. 

Stone,  Dottson,  205,  244. 

Stone,  E.  E.,  382. 

Stone,  James  B.,  354. 

Stone,  James  II.,  246,  296,  487. 
Stone,  Mrs.  Mattie,  472. 

Stone,  Philip,  204,  235,  246. 

Stone,  Palvey  T.,  354. 

Stone,  Pauline,  472. 


604 


INDEX 


Stone,  P.  T.,  398. 

Stone,  Mary,  235. 

Stone,  Thomas,  382. 

Stuart,  Thomas  S.,  358. 

Stone,  William,  167,  360. 

Stone,  W.  J.,  381,  382. 

Stone’s  River,  385. 

Story,  Mary,  126. 

St.  Patrick,  27. 

Straight  Out  Ticket,  454. 

Strain,  Adam,  66. 

Strange,  J.  C.,  301. 

Streets  Paved,  520. 

Streets  in  1801,  148. 

Stretch,  Mary,  204,  232. 

Strong,  Agnes,  295. 

Strong,  Hazel,  503. 

Strong,  H.  A.,  503. 

Strong,  James,  242. 

Strong,  Margaret,  289,  295. 

Strong,  Robert,  117,  184,  204,  236, 
240,  242,  289. 

Strong,  S.  J.,  381. 

Strong,  Samuel,  204,  236,  295. 
Strong,  Sarah,  228,  242. 

Strong,  Susan,  295. 

Strong,  T.  J.,  295,  344,  349,  361. 
Strong,  William,  242. 

Strong,  W.  V.,  499,  519. 

Stuart,  James,  22,  153. 

Stuart,  Lady  Margaret,  171. 
Stuart,  Margaret,  30. 

Stuart,  Mary,  12. 

Stuart,  T.  S.,  349,  381,  465. 

Stubbs,  John,  22. 

Stuckey,  B.  N.,  465,  538. 

Stuckey,  R.  W.,  502. 

Stukes,  H.  H.,  407. 

Stukes,  William  N.,  353. 

Sturgis,  Jane,  370. 

Sturges,  S.  D.,  342. 

Suffrage,  Male,  438. 

Sullivan,  Esther,  78. 

Sullivan,  James,  85. 

Sullivan,  John,  78. 

Sullivan,  Joseph,  168. 

Sumac  Berry,  372. 

Summersett,  G.  K.,  469. 

Sumter  School,  472. 

Sumter,  Thomas,  135,  177. 

Sunday  School,  262. 

Sunday  School  formed,  180. 
Supervision  by  Elders,  482. 
Surrender,  Twenty-Fifth  Regiment, 
416. 

Sutton,  Ann,  244. 

Sutton,  Dorothy,  244. 


Sutton,  Elizabeth,  244. 

Sutton,  Hugh,  117. 

Sutton,  Jacob,  117. 

Sutton,  Magdalene,  244. 

Sutton,  Margaret,  244. 

Sutton,  Mary,  244. 

Sutton,  Robert,  188,  190,  191,  204, 
232,  244. 

Suttons  Church,  190,  197. 

Sutton  School,  472. 

Swab,  J.  G.,  168. 

Swabs,  A.  C.,  472,  485. 

Swails,  S.  A.,  440,  446,  460. 
Swails,  Mrs.  Lawrence,  532. 
Swails,  F.  H.,  440. 

“Swamp  Fox,”  108. 

“Swamp  Rabbit,”  364. 

Swan,  Robert,  117. 

Swift  Creek,  406. 

Swinton,  Elizabeth,  80,  204. 
Swinton,  Hugh,  168. 

Swinton,  William,  4,  47,  53,  117. 
Swittenberg,  J.  W.,  472,  478. 

S Wittenberg,  Mrs.  J.  W.,  514. 
Sykes,  John,  22,  151. 

Syms,  William,  22,  45,  46. 

Taft  School,  472. 

Tallevast,  J.  B.,  538. 

Talliessin,  171. 

Tamplet,  Isabel,  24. 

Tamplet,  Peter,  24. 

Tamplet,  Sarah,  191,  244. 

Taney,  Chief  Justice,  335. 

Tanner,  John,  352. 

Tanner,  L.,  352. 

Tanner,  W.  E.,  474. 

Tar  Heel,  328. 

Tariff  Question,  267. 

Tarleton,  100. 

Tarleton  at  King’s  Tree,  101. 

Tart,  R.  E.,  530. 

Taxes  Confiscatory,  449. 

Taxpayers  Convention,  448. 

Taylor,  O.  E.,  527. 

Taylor,  Mrs.  O.  E.,  515. 

Taylor,  James,  22. 

Taylor,  J.  L.,  377. 

Taylor,  Lex,  474. 

Taylor,  Mary  T.,  231. 

Taylor,  Richard,  159. 

Taylor,  Ruffin,  143,  152,  169. 
Taylor,  S.  J.,  362,  468,  498,  529. 
Taylor,  Samuel,  114,  122. 

Taylor,  S.  P.,  233. 

Taylor’s  School,  305. 

Taylor,  Mrs.  W.  L.,  514,  515. 


INDEX 


605 


Taylor,  William,  208,  229. 

Taylor,  W.  J.,  362. 

Tea,  94. 

Teachers  Marry,  532. 

Teachers’  Qualifications,  476. 
Teachers,  White  Schools,  472. 
Teaching  of  the  Christ,  491. 
Teapot  Tempests,  467. 

Tedder,  James,  343. 

Tenth  Infantry,  376. 

Tenth  Regiment  Mustered,  349. 
Terrey,  George,  398. 

Terry,  G.  W.,  408. 

Thames,  B.  D.,  486. 

Thames,  J.  P.,  361. 

Thigpen,  J.  E.,  347. 

Thigpen,  W.  H.,  347,  475. 

Thomas,  Alexander,  169. 

Thomas,  C.  C.,  358. 

Thomas,  David,  169. 

Thomas,  Edward,  117,  118,  207. 
Thomas,  Elizabeth,  205. 

Thomas,  Henry  B.,  359. 

Thomas,  James,  117. 

Thomas,  J.  C.,  405. 

Thomas,  J.  E.,  405. 

Thomas,  J.  G.,  358. 

Thomas,  J.  M.,  358,  396. 

Thomas,  J.  D.,  353,  357. 

Thomas,  Jesse,  169. 

Thomas,  P.  S.,  502,  527. 

Thomas,  S.,  358. 

Thomas,  William,  117. 

Thomas,  W.  O.,  503. 

Thompson,  Alexander,  205. 
Thomson,  Archibald,  117. 
Thompson,  Connie,  474. 

Thompson,  Edward  C.,  503. 
Thompson,  Eleanor,  82. 

Thompson,  F.,  362. 

Thompson,  Hannah,  205. 

Thomson,  James,  117,  169. 
Thompson,  James  A.,  512. 
Thompson,  J.  B.,  358. 

Thompson,  John,  23,  53,  169,  349, 
354,  383. 

Thompson,  Martha,  23. 

Thompson,  O.  L.,  474. 

Thompson,  R.  G.,  382. 

Thomson,  Ruben,  169. 

Thomson,  Samuel,  159. 

Thompson,  Sidney  B.,  354. 
Thompson,  T.  S.,  382. 

Thompson,  W.  E.,  360. 

Thompson,  W.  F.,  413. 

Thompson,  W.  G.,  382. 

Thompson,  W.  J.,  358. 


Thompson,  William,  50,  117,  118, 
205. 

Thompson,  W.  and  W.  A.,  205. 
Thompson,  W.  T.,  360,  413. 

Thorne,  Henry,  312. 

Thorne,  P.  B.,  484. 

Thorne,  Mrs.  P.  B.,  484,  522. 
Thorne,  Selma,  514. 

Thornhill,  William  J.,  361. 
Thorntree,  18. 

Thorp,  Janet,  237. 

Thorp,  John,  205,  224,  237. 

Thorp,  Samuel,  169. 

Thorp,  S.  J.,  358. 

Tilton,  D.  C.,  350. 

Tilton,  Robert  F.,  358,  408. 

Tilton,  William,  235. 

Tilton,  William  J.,  354. 

Timmons,  Isaac,  231. 

Timmons,  James,  169. 

Timmons,  James  E.,  361. 

Timmons,  John,  169. 

Timmons,  Levi,  169,  205. 

Timmons,  Martin  V.,  353. 
Timmons,  M.  O.,  398. 

Timmons,  Samuel,  233. 

Timmons,  S.  B.,  472. 

Timmons,  Simon,  231. 

Timmons,  T.  E.,  487. 

Timmons,  William,  231. 

Tisdale,  Alex,  515. 

Tisdale,  Ambrose,  442. 

Tisdale,  Desmore,  503. 

Tisdale,  D.  M.,  361. 

Tisdale,  Elizabeth,  289,  295,  370. 
Tisdale,  George,  344. 

Tisdale,  James,  146,  153,  169,  205, 
222,  295. 

Tisdale,  Jane,  223. 

Tisdale,  J.  G.,  346,  358. 

Tisdale,  J.  H.,  349. 

Tisdale,  J.  M.,  473. 

Tisdale,  John  J.,  240. 

Tisdale,  J.  S.,  344,  361. 

Tisdale,  J.  T.,  349. 

Tisdale,  J.  Y.,  344,  361. 

Tisdale,  Margaret,  295. 

Tisdale,  R.  H.,  503. 

Tisdale,  R.  S.,  81,  349,  357,  361. 
Tisdale,  Samuel,  240,  256,  361,  513. 
Tisdale,  S.  S.,  348. 

Tisdale,  W.  J.,  349. 

Tisdale,  William,  240. 

Tisdale,  W.  W.,  347. 

Tobacco,  34. 

Tobacco  Growers  Ass’n.,  546. 
Tobacco  Hogsheads,  250. 


606 


INDEX 


Tobacco  Industry,  538. 

Tobacco  in  Williamsburg,  547. 
Tobacco  Planters,  538. 

Tobacco  Prizeries,  520. 

Tobacco  Produced,  249. 

Tobacco  Warehouses,  520,  538. 
Tobias,  William  M.,  487. 

Todd,  Elizabeth,  232,  245. 

Todd,  John,  362. 

Tolley,  W.  F.,  514,  521. 

Tolls  on  Ferries,  209,  211. 
Tomlinson,  Nathaniel,  117. 
Tomlinson,  John,  117. 

Tornson,  Alexander,  169. 

Tomson,  George,  168. 

Tornson,  James,  168. 

Tories,  131,  133. 

Tories  in  Williamsbrug,  102. 
Tournaments,  307. 

Town  Lots  Advertised,  147. 

Town  Lot  Owners,  150. 

Town  of  Williamsburg,  9,  138. 
Town  of  Williamsburg,  1788,  137. 
Townsend,  G.  B.,  40S. 

Townships,  3. 

Tracts  Distributed,  376. 

Trading  with  Slaves,  316. 

Trapier,  General,  385. 

Treating  at  Funerals,  178. 
Treatment  of  Slaves,  335. 
Travillian,  407. 

Trial  of  Samuel  McGill,  276. 

Trio  Post  Office,  531. 

Trio  School,  473. 

Troublefield,  William,  22,  142. 
Troy,  Martha,  290. 

Trucking  Industry,  538. 

Trustees,  of  White  Schols,  472. 
Truckers  Company,  413. 

Tucker,  John,  169. 

Turbeville,  Charles,  24. 

Turbeville,  John,  24. 

Turbeville,  Margaret,  23. 
Turbeville,  M.  D.,  405. 

Turbeville,  Philadelphia,  24. 
Turbeville,  R.,  383. 

Turbeville,  Ransom,  352. 
Turbeville,  R.  E.,  475. 

Turbeville,  Susannah  S.,  24. 
Turbeville,  William,  22,  23. 
Turbeville,  W.  T.,  531. 

Turkey  School,  475. 

Turner,  Amos,  169. 

Turner,  Benjamin,  169,  205,  231, 
233,  236,  369. 

Turner,  Hugh,  233,  236. 

Turner,  J.  A.,  486. 


Turner,  J.  L.,  358. 

Turner,  John,  20,  168. 

Turner,  Mary,  242. 

Turner,  Phoebe,  236. 

Turner,  Ruben,  169,  236. 

Turner,  William,  205,  231,  236,  237, 
240. 

Turpentine  Industry,  536. 

Turnout,  Graham,  372. 

Tweed,  Alexander,  135,  136. 

Two  Ears  of  Corn,  393. 

Two  Williamsburg  Congregations, 
174. 

Tyler,  Benjamin,  169. 

Tyler,  Hugh,  347,  407. 

Tyler,  Samuel,  168. 

Tyrnes,  107. 

Tyrone,  27. 

Tyser,  Richard,  85. 

U.  D.  C.  Organized,  523. 
Unchristian  Practices,  260. 

Union  Church,  196,  301,  401. 
Unionists,  268. 

Union  School,  476. 

Union  Services,  494. 

Unlawful  Grants,  64. 

University  of  N.  C.,  305. 

University  of  S.  C.,  305. 

University  of  Virginia,  305. 
“Unorthodoxy,”  495. 

“Up  Country,”  214. 

“Uppish”  negroes,  435. 

Vannalle,  Esther,  83. 

Vannalle,  Matthew,  22,  83,  151. 
Vareen,  Ann,  81. 

Vareen,  Ebenezer,  85. 

Vareen,  Hannah,  85. 

Varneen,  Jane,  85. 

Vareen,  Jeremiah,  25,  85. 

Vareen,  J.  T.,  405. 

Vareen,  Martha,  81,  85. 

Vareen,  Mary,  85. 

Vareen,  Rachel,  85. 

Vareen,  Rebecca,  85. 

Vareen,  Samuel,  25,  81. 

Vareen,  William,  85. 

Vareen,  W.  J.,  408. 

Varn,  Daisy,  517. 

Varner,  W.  S.,  485,  529. 

Vause,  Ed,  503. 

Vause,  Mrs.  Edward,  474. 

Vause,  W.  M.,  519. 

Venters,  J.  L.,  398. 

Venters,  N.  M.,  500,  502. 

Venters,  Washington,  383. 


INDEX 


607 


Vinegar  Scarce,  411. 

Virginia,  1. 

Volunteers,  Citadel,  360. 

Vote  on  Constitution,  135. 

Vote  on  Ratification,  136. 

Waccamaw  River,  3. 

Wade,  Ollie,  475. 

Waddell’s  Academy,  305. 

Wagner  Battery,  398. 

Walker,  C.  I.,  349,  417. 

Walker,  James,  170. 

Walker,  William,  54. 

Wall,  P.  S.,  463. 

Wall,  W.  J.  B.,  409. 

Wallace,  Barney,  408. 

Wallace,  David  D.,  215. 

Wallace,  James,  117,  493. 

Wallace,  James  A.,  103,  291,  295, 
312. 

Wallace,  J.  B.,  500,  515. 

Wallace,  Jedekiali,  291. 

Wallace,  John,  25,  53,  117. 

Wallace,  Michael,  117,  118. 
Wallace,  Pearl,  474. 

Wallace  Preaches  Calvinism,  294. 
Wallace  Resigns,  299. 

Wallace,  R.  K.,  464,  521,  528. 
Wallace,  Mrs.  R.  K.,  532. 

Wallace,  Ruby,  474. 

Wallace,  T.  A.,  344. 

Wallace,  W.  L.,  430,  485,  527. 
Wallace,  William,  117. 

Wallace,  W.  S.,  384. 

Wallace,  W.  T.,  352. 

Wallace’s  History  of  Williamsburg, 
299. 

Wallace’s  Prayer,  295. 

Wallace’s  Sermon,  299. 

Wallace’s  Soliloquy,  300. 

Walsh,  Frank,  221. 

Walters,  E.  Omitt,  473. 

Walters,  Jacob,  169,  205. 

Walters,  Patrick,  170. 

Walters,  Priscilla,  170. 

Walters,  R.  B.,  347,  407. 

Walters,  W.  J.,  358. 

Walthall  Junction,  406. 

Walton,  Caleb,  165. 

War  Loan  Committee,  513. 

Ward,  Benjamin,  384,  399,  400. 
Wardlaw,  F.  H.,  483. 

Ward,  James,  169,  205,  238,  244. 
Ward,  Mary  Grimke,  187. 

Ward,  R.  F.,  473. 

Ward,  W.  J.,  361. 

Ward,  W.  W.,  440. 


Warehouse,  Central,  538. 

Warned  from  Communion  Table, 
274. 

War  Path  through  Williamsburg, 
103. 

Warren,  Virginia,  472. 

Warsaw  School,  476. 

Washington,  Samuel  J.,  236. 
Wateree  River,  3. 

Water  Works  and  Sewerage,  519. 
Watrons,  Abner,  169. 

Watson,  109. 

Watson,  Andrew,  205,  206. 

Watson,  Mrs.  Catherine,  118. 
Watson,  David,  118. 

Watson,  Emma,  290. 

Watson,  George,  169. 

Watson,  Hugh,  169. 

Watson,  James,  117. 

Watson,  J.  F.,  469. 

Watson,  John,  47,  66,  81,  83,  101, 
117,  118,  153,  222,  223,  226, 
234,  242,  290,  354,  357,  369, 
379,  402. 

Watson,  Mrs.  John,  370. 

Watson,  Mary,  289. 

Watson,  Mary  F.,  242. 

Watson,  M.  E.,  402. 

Washington,  Ned,  357. 

Watson,  Bobert,  117. 

Watson,  Sarah,  205,  234. 

Watson,  Sarah  Ann,  234,  242. 
Waxhaw  Church,  177. 

Wayside  School,  473. 

Weatherly,  Isaac,  170. 

Weaver,  J.  M.,  350,  486. 

Weaver,  William,  170. 

Wee  Nee  Bank,  499. 

Wee  Nee  River,  8. 

Wee  Nees,  72. 

Wee  Nee  School,  474. 

Wee  Nee  Volunteers,  343,  414,  348. 
Wee  Tees,  72. 

Wee  Tee  School,  475. 

Weevil,  Boll,  548. 

Weir,  George,  362,  344,  366. 

Waites,  William,  270. 

Welch,  A.,  344. 

Welch,  Frank,  529. 

Welch,  J.  F.,  384. 

Welch,  W.  H.,  405,  464,  514,  545. 
Wells,  Artesian,  518. 

Wells  bored,  536. 

Wells,  Miss  S.  E.,  424,  425. 

West,  John,  473,  503. 

West,  W.  II.,  360. 

Westberry,  B.  F.,  382. 


608 


INDEX 


Westberry,  Jonathan,  25. 
Westberry,  William,  70,  170. 
Weston,  P.  C.  J.,  360,  403. 

Weinyss,  179. 

Wemyss’  Invasion,  103. 

Weems’  Life  of  Marion. 

Wham,  Gladys,  475. 

Wheeler,  George  C.,  400. 

Wheeler,  George  D.,  361. 

Wheeler,  John,  117,  295. 

Whigs,  131. 

Whipping  Posts,  316. 

Whitacre,  Isaac,  170. 

Whitby,  George,  70. 

White,  Anthony,  23,  33,  53,  62,  71, 
92,  170,  247,  248. 

White,  Blakely,  81. 

White’s  Bridge,  377. 

White,  Daniel,  169. 

White,  George,  170,  213. 

White,  John,  71,  81,  118,  226. 
White,  Joseph,  245. 

White,  Mary,  23,  81,  240. 

White,  Nancy,  125. 

White  Oak  Church,  287. 

Whites  only  Vote,  461. 

White  School  Teachers,  1887,  468. 
White  Schools,  472. 

Whitehead,  B.  C.,  464,  468. 
Whitehead,  Cohen,  525. 

Whitehead,  Jacob,  354. 

Whitehead,  J.  J.,  384. 

Whitehead,  N.  M.,  312,  354. 
Whitehead,  W.  L.,  527. 

Whitfield,  Benjamin,  244. 
Whitfield,  Cicero,  328. 

Whitfield,  Hagard,  328. 

Whitfield,  John,  22,  69,  142. 
Whitfield,  O.  II.,  358. 

Whitfield,  Philip,  513. 

Whitfield,  Thomas,  170. 

Whitfield,  William,  169. 

Wiboo  Swamp,  108. 

Wickham,  T.  J.,  169. 

Wiggins,  Ernest,  470. 

Wiggins,  E.  P.,  352. 

Wiggins,  Thomas,  146. 

Wilder,  John,  353,  358,  407,  409. 
Wilder,  J.  T.,  469. 

Wilder,  Samuel,  353. 

Wilder,  W.  J.,  382. 

Wilderness,  406. 

Wilkes,  C.  C.,  358. 

Wilkes,  Ester,  170. 

Wilkes,  Lemuel,  170. 

Wilkes,  T.  II.,  351,  400. 

Wilkins,  Banna  L.,  507. 


Wilkins,  G.  H..  503,  525. 

Wilkins,  Mrs.  G.  PI.,  525. 

Wilkins,  W.  T.,  498,  547. 

Wilkins,  Mrs.  W.  T.,  514. 

Will,  Holograph,  220. 

Willcox,  A.  M.,  527. 

Willcox.  F.  L.,  500. 

Willebard,  A.,  352. 

William  of  Orange,  9,  28,  123. 
Williams,  A.  H.,  463,  527. 
Williams,  Anthony,  9,  22,  141,  297. 
Williams,  A.  W.,  362. 

Williams,  Daniel,  56. 

Williams,  Daniel  J.,  229. 

Williams,  E.  H.,  527. 

Williams,  Elizabeth,  83. 

Williams,  Ellen,  476. 

Williams,  Evelyn,  473. 

Williams,  Dorothy,  473. 

Williams,  Hannah,  169. 

Williams,  Henry,  22,  151. 
Williams,  Henry  C.,  512. 

Williams,  Hetty,  228. 

Williams,  PI.  P.,  496,  497. 

Williams,  Jacob  W.,  228. 
Williams,  J.  C.,  317. 

Williams,  Mrs.  J.  C.,  370. 

Williams,  John,  205. 

Williams,  J.  G.,  170. 

Williams,  Muriel,  472. 

Williams,  R.,  382,  195. 

Williams,  Roger,  34. 

Williams,  S.,  352. 

Williams,  S.  W.,  469. 

Williams,  Thomas,  145,  169,  205, 
210,  238. 

Williams,  William,  170. 
Williamsburg  Academy,  175. 
Williamsburg  Battalion,  128. 
Williamsburg  Cemetery  Ass’n.,  524. 
Williamsburg  Church,  16,  46,  52, 
78,  81,  172,  197,  401,  480. 
Williamsburg  Churches,  138. 
Williamsburg  Churches,  1860,  303. 
Williamsburg  P.  Congregation,  45, 
76,  143,  151,  152,  153. 
Williamsburg  Court,  216. 
Williamsburg  Congregations  Re¬ 
unite,  182. 

Williamsburg  County  Created,  139. 
Williamsburg  District,  216. 
Williamsburg  Fair  Ass’n.,  542. 
Williamsburg  Light  Dragoons,  354. 
Williamsburg  Preaching,  490. 
Williamsburg  Riflemen,  353. 
Williamsburg  Session  Records,  290. 
Williamsburg  Tax  Payers,  199. 


INDEX 


609 


Williamsburg  Township,  9,  39. 
Williamsburg  Was  There,  346. 
Williamson,  Bertha,  475. 
Williamson,  G.  F.,  475. 
Williamson,  Henry  G.,  359. 
Williamson,  H.  J.,  486. 
Williamson,  J.  M.,  465. 
Williamson,  Sterling,  118. 
Williamson,  T.  E.,  383. 

Williamson,  Thomas,  409. 
Williamson,  William,  22,  118,  153. 
Williamson,  W.  G.,  359,  407. 
Willis,  Abram,  398. 

Willis,  Claudelle,  473. 

Willis,  Henry,  187,  292. 

Willison,  John,  16. 

Willoughby,  W.  T.,  320. 

Wills,  Colonial,  73. 

Wills,  Old,  220. 

Willson,  John  O.,  527. 

Willtown,  71,  105,  195,  251. 
Willtown  Church,  197. 

Willtown  Post  Office,  252. 

Willtown  road,  209,  211. 

Wilson,  Adam,  79. 

Wilson,  Avagale,  232. 

Wilson,  B.  II.,  349. 

Wilson,  Charles,  170. 

Wilson,  David,  10,  12,  20,  22,  45,  49, 
66,  78,  142,  170,  205,  210,  236, 
243,  244,  262. 

Wilson,  David  D.,  196,  198,  218, 
238,  240,  246,  259,  269,  279, 
264,  274,  275,  280,  311,  320, 
368,  397. 

Wilson,  David  E.,  233,  259. 

Wilson,  David  F.,  259. 

Wilson,  E.  D.,  317. 

Wilson,  Eliza  A.,  236. 

Wilson,  Elizabeth,  243. 

Wilson,  Elizabeth  M.,  264. 

Wilson,  Elizabeth  W.,  233. 

Wilson,  F.  W.,  358,  360. 

Wilson,  Godfrey,  159. 

Wilson,  Grace,  169. 

Wilson,  Hugh,  118,  205,  226. 
Wilson,  H.  G.,  407. 

Wilson,  James,  114,  118. 

Wilson,  James  E.,  233,  236. 

Wilson,  James  S.,  262. 

Wilson,  Jane,  205,  227,  240,  243, 
259. 

Wilson,  Jane  I.,  240. 

Wilson,  J.  D.,  488. 

Wilson,  J.  Harvey,  362. 

Wilson,  John,  22,  69,  118,  142,  144, 
145,  146,  151,  152,  169,  179, 


181,  205,  243,  348,  360,  407. 
Wilson,  John  C.,  240,  311,  354,  355, 
358,  368,  369,  407. 

Wilson,  John  L.,  243. 

Wilson,  John  O.,  528. 

Wilson,  J.  S.,  527,  528. 

Wilson,  John  W.,  233,  407. 

Wilson,  Julian,  468. 

Wilson,  Margaret,  77,  232. 

Wilson,  Mary,  85,  246,  259. 

Wilson,  Mrs.  Mary,  118. 

Wilson,  Mary  Grace,  233. 

Wilson,  Mary  L.,  240,  243. 

Wilson,  Mary  S.,  230,  233,  235,  289. 
Wilson,  P.,  348. 

Wilson,  Richard,  513. 

Wilson,  Robert,  20,  49,  50,  48,  62, 
66,  70,  85,  169,  170,  205,  228, 
232,  243,  484. 

Wilson,  Robert  D.,  243. 

Wilson,  Robert  H.,  240,  289. 
Wilson,  Robert  I.,  181. 

Wilson,  Robert  J.,  229,  230,  234. 
Wilson,  Robert  M.,  262,  357. 
Wilson,  Roger,  77,  85,  226. 

Wilson,  Samuel,  142,  152,  169,  179, 
181,  205,  206,  233. 

Wilson,  Samuel  A.,  263. 

Wilson,  Samuel  F.,  238. 

Wilson,  Samuel  J.,  198,  243,  244, 
259,  260,  274,  279. 

Wilson,  Samuel  M.,  233. 

Wilson,  Sarah  E.,  240. 

Wilson,  Sarah  F.,  237,  262. 

Wilson  School,  475. 

Wilson,  Shelton,  472. 

Wilson,  S.  I.,  349. 

Wilson,  Thomas,  85,  232,  500. 
Wilson,  Thomas  E.,  236,  262. 
Wilson,  Virginia,  474. 

Wilson,  Walter,  466. 

Wilson,  W.  B.,  500. 

Wilson,  W.  G.,  469. 

Wilson,  William,  19,  22,  57,  92,  114, 
134,  135,  136,  142,  152,  169,  170, 
179,  181,  183,  205,  226,  227,  229, 
231,  232,  234,  235,  383. 

Wilson,  William  C.,  233,  473. 
Wilson,  William  J.,  302,  353,  383, 
398,  409. 

Wilson,  W.  M.,  263,  473. 

Wilson,  Woodrow,  515. 

Wimper,  John,  169. 

Winchester,  Elhannon,  195. 
Windom,  Jesse,  170. 

Wingate,  Edward,  118. 

Winkles,  L.  D.,  362. 


INDEX 


610 


Winkles,  William,  362. 

Winn,  Jonas,  157. 

Winn,  Lucia,  472. 

Winter,  J.  S.,  161. 

Winter,  John,  221,  223. 

Winter,  Robert,  170. 

Winyaw,  24. 

Winyaw  County,  139. 

Werter,  Susannah,  76. 

Wise,  R.  L.,  503. 

Wisner,  George,  205. 

Wisner,  Jannet,  237. 

Wisner,  Robert,  224. 

Wisner,  Robert  P.,  237. 

Witherspoon,  Ann,  19,  82. 

Witherspoon  Colony,  10. 

Witherspoon,  David,  11,  17,  18,  20, 
22,  45,  46,  66,  97,  114,  126,  142, 
152. 

Witherspoon,  Elizabeth,  10,  16,  19, 
81,  123,  169,  180,  205,  234,  236. 

Witherspoon,  Esther  D.,  236. 

Witherspoon,  Esther  L.,  240. 

Witherspoon’s  Ferry,  208,  210. 

Witherspoon,  Gavin,  11,  12,  20,  22, 
48,  66,  78,  79,  81,  114,  118,  119, 
125,  126,  142,  143,  152,  169,  170, 
179,  205,  207,  222,  223,  226,  228, 
234. 

Witherspoon,  George,  236. 

Witherspoon,  George  W.,  126. 

Witherspoon,  I.  B.,  181. 

Witherspoon,  James,  10,  19,  22,  48, 
81,  89,  114,  125,  139,  140,  141, 
142,  143,  144,  145,  146,  169,  179, 
205,  222. 

Witherspoon,  James  E.,  227. 

Witherspoon,  James  H.,  126,  236. 

Witherspoon,  John  M.,  231,  234, 
245. 

Witherspoon,  Jane,  18,  119. 

Witherspoon,  Jane  James,  119. 

Witherspoon,  Janet,  10,  234. 

Witherspoon,  J.  B.,  210. 

Witherspoon,  John,  10,  16,  17,  19, 
22,  30,  31,  45,  46,  82,  92,  114, 
118,  125,  126,  143,  169,  185,  208, 
211. 

Witherspoon,  John  B.,  227. 

Witherspoon,  J.  R.,  10,  236. 

Witherspoon,  J.  R.  D.,  205. 

Witherspoon,  John  W.,  361. 

Witherspoon,  Joseph,  179,  205,  223. 

Witherspoon,  Langdom,  236. 

Witherspoon,  Mary,  11,  19,  26,  158, 
234. 

Witherspoon,  Mary  A.,  236. 


Witherspoon,  Martha  Ann,  126. 
Witherspoon,  Nancy,  290. 
Witherspoon,  Robert,  10,  11,  12,  15, 
17,  19,  20,  22,  48,  49,  66,  81,  125, 
141,  143,  145,  150,  151,  152,  153, 
175,  180,  205,  226,  227,  236. 
Witherspoon,  Robert  B.,  205. 
Witherspoon,  Robert  L.,  126,  150, 

180,  205,  218,  219,  521. 
Witherspoon,  Robert  P.,  179,  222, 

234. 

Witherspoon,  Robert  S.,  181,  227. 
Witherspoon,  Samuel,  180,  234. 
Witherspoon,  Samuel  M.,  231. 
Witherspoon,  Sarah,  17,  142,  153, 

169. 

Witherspoon,  Thomas,  19,  89,  180, 

181,  205,  218,  226,  232,  234,  236. 
Witherspoon,  Thomas  R.,  234. 
Witherspoon,  William,  125,  152. 

170. 

Wofford  College,  305. 

Wolfe,  C.  W.,  520,  521,  522,  523, 
536,  463,  464,  469. 

Wolfe,  Mrs.  E.  P.,  469. 

Women,  1745,  87. 

Women  in  Revolution,  112. 

Woman  Suffrage,  465. 

Women’s  Work  in  War,  370. 
Wood,  William,  170. 

Wood,  Thomas,  25. 

Woodberry,  John,  118. 

Woodberry,  John  H.,  505. 
Woodmason,  Charles,  54,  71. 
Woods,  J.  M.,  405. 

Woods,  W.  H.,  527. 

Woods,  Willis,  205. 

Woods,  T.  T.,  149. 

Woodson,  D.  W.,  352. 

Workers,  Turpentine,  327. 
Workman,  Florence,  469. 
Workman,  John,  118. 

Workman,  Robert,  118. 

Workman,  W.  H.,  483. 

Worldly  Amusements,  255,  273,  533. 
World  War,  503. 

Wounded,  C.  S.  A.,  382. 

Wounded,  Cold  Harbor,  355. 
Wyatt,  James,  237. 

Wyatt,  Samuel,  237. 

Yarborough,  John,  359,  408. 
Yeadon,  Richard,  396. 

York,  William,  39. 

Yorkville  Academy,  305. 

Young,  Arthur,  545. 

Young,  Carolina,  473. 


INDEX 


611 


Young,  D.  B.,  362. 

Young,  Elizabeth,  170. 
Young,  G.  H.,  347. 

Young,  Henry,  350. 

Young,  James  M.,  408. 
Young,  John,  350. 

Young,  J.  C.,  546. 

Young,  J.  D.,  408. 

Young,  J.  H.,  407. 

Young,  L.  E.,  344,  346,  347. 


Young,  Matt,  70. 

Young,  Robert,  22,  142. 

Young,  S.  A.,  351. 

Young,  William,  62,  63,  79,  153,  359. 
Young,  W.  H.,  408. 

Zimmerman,  Effie,  472. 

Zuill,  James,  170,  205,  225,  252. 
Zuill,  John,  225. 

Zuill,  Margaret,  225. 


